Jalapeno Chicken Jerky

I’ve been making a bunch of different small batches of my own chicken jerky for a few months now.

Beef jerky is completely off the table for my husband at this point (we think he may have had an unfortunate encounter with a Lone Star tick when we were in Dallas a decade ago), so chicken jerky, it is!

The think is, commercial jerky can be hard to find. It’s also expensive when we do find it, and doesn’t come in a lot of options.

So, I’ve been making homemade jerky for him. After all, jerky treats are just about the perfect snack food for road trips!

Jerky is convenient, lasts a long time, has delicious flavor, and is a great source of protein. It’s an easy snack to grab on drive days, and a nice high-protein snack for when we go hiking.

It’s got a great smoky flavor, with just the right amount of heat. It’s a nice level of spiciness, but the jalapenos are definitely more about flavour, than heat.

The Jerk Chicken Jerky and Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky are now providing some competition for that spot, but he still says the Jalapeno Chicken is his favourite.

The best part? It’s super easy to make - maybe 15 minutes of work - and costs MUCH less than store bought chicken jerky.

Ok, so that’s two best part’s - whatever. Let’s get to that recipe...

Equipment

There are two specialized pieces of equipment that I use for making jerky, beyond basics like spoons, bowls, and measuring cups:

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a nice quality caulking gun (NOT an actual one - keep it food safe!) that you use to pipe out strips of jerky onto your parchment paper.

Mine is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . Regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

Worth every penny, even if I’d paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerk gun, I was HOOKED. I had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

Anyway, mine came with two “strip” style nozzles, along with one more suited for pepperettes. Of the jerky strip nozzles, I tend to use the smaller one.

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make chicken jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

I’ve had food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls, - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

Think of it this way - The same size of jerky that I tend to make goes for about $4 in a gas station. I get about 10-15 strips out of a batch - let’s average that out to 12.

That’s $48 worth of jerky, for $8 or less. Make 5 batches, that’s your $200 in savings!

Anyway, we’re using a dehydrator a LOT more, now that we have a nice one. Having the control over the temperature really opens up the possibilities.

Ingredients

With only a couple of exceptions, this recipe uses pretty basic ingredients - and the ones that are less common, are ones I use in ALL my jerky recipes.

A few ingredient notes for you:

Lean Ground Chicken

Use the highest quality ground chicken you can. Fresh or frozen will work, but frozen - as we used in the batch we photographed for this post - can end up a bit more “watery”, and dry down to a thinner jerky than fresh ground chicken does, in my experience.

If you want to make your own, trim some boneless skinless chicken breasts - plain chicken - and run them through a food processor or meat grinder until well broken down.

Lean chicken breast meat will have a better shelf life than higher fat dark meat will - fat can go rancid.

Finally, if you want to make turkey jerky, feel free to use the same amount of lean ground turkey.

For that matter, you can swap the meat out for whatever kind of ground meat you prefer!

I’d just recommend using more jalapenos, in that case. Chicken is a really mild base, so the jalapenos here really shine. If you’re using a meat with a more robust flavour, more jalapenos may be needed, so they’re not overpowered.

Soy Sauce, or Soy-Adjacent Sauce

As with all of my jerky recipes, I developed this recipe using Coconut Aminos, which is what I use for myself - it’s gluten free and paleo/AIP friendly.

Tamari is another gluten free option (USUALLY GF, anyway!), or you could use plain old Soy Sauce.

Regular soy sauce tends to be saltier than Coconut Aminos, though. For best results, I recommend using low sodium soy sauce, if possible - otherwise, you might want to cut back the salt (regular, NOT the curing salt) amount.

Whichever you use, it brings some umami - savory flavor - to the jalapeno chicken jerky.

Fresh Jalapeno Peppers

Jalapeno peppers can vary a fair amount in terms of heat, so consider the amount called for to be a rough guideline, more than a firm amount.

If you’d like a milder heat, be sure to remove all of the seeds and the ribs - the white pithy sections from inside each pepper - as that’s where a lot of the heat is.

You can use smoked or roasted jalapenos if you like - they’ll also be more mild. If you’d like that roasty flavour AND heat - leave the seeds and pith in while roasting or smoking, and use extra peppers!

Liquid Smoke

I used to hate the flavour of Liquid Smoke - and anything that used it for an artificial smoke flavour - but making jerky DEFINITELY made a believer of me.

A little goes a long way to making any homemade jerky taste like jerky. I don’t recommend skipping it, but I do recommend sticking to a basic, neutral flavoured smoke for this jerk chicken jerky recipe.

I wouldn’t suggest using something like mesquite, for instance. Those are really identifiable flavours that would compete with traditional jerk flavour, IMHO.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market, and I use it in all of my jerky recipes.

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure, same as I use for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe.

It’s a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats - like pepperoni or summer sausages, as it hampers bacterial growth, extending the shelf life of the foods it’s used in.

Beyond the food safety, it’s also what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour, AND contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor.

Just two other things to mention:

1. Prague Powder is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt

... I just really don’t have anything to add, for these last few ingredients. Super basic!

How to Make Jalapeno Chicken Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Cut 2 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

In a mini food processor, blitz chopped jalapenos, soy sauce, and liquid smoke until a paste forms. Add to a medium mixing bowl, along with the remaining ingredients.

Using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well. REALLY well -for best results, it’s better to overhandle it, than to under-mix it.

It should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!)

Jalapeno Chicken Jerky Storage

Allow jalapeno chicken jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, it should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of jalapeno chicken jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a week, if put in the fridge after opening.

More Homemade Jerky Recipes

Are you someone who loves to bring jerky on road trips, hiking trails, and when camping? Me too! Here are some of my go-to recipes for homemade jerkies!

Basic Ground Beef Jerky
Blueberry Bison Jerky
Ginger Beef Jerky
Ground Venison Jerky
Homemade Salmon Jerky
Jerk Chicken Jerky
Lingonberry Elk Jerky
Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky
Mushroom Jerky, 2 Ways
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Pepperoni Jerky