Jerk Chicken Jerky

Jerky is a great source of protein, after all - and a high-protein snack is always a good thing for road trips and hiking!

Anyway, while I’ve been free to play with all kinds of fancy ground meats, my husband is a bit more limited. We think he may have picked up a case of Alpha-Gal on a trip to Texas almost a decade ago.

One day, he just stopped being able to eat red meat. I’ll spare you the details, it was not fun!

So, with beef jerky completely off the table, he’s been getting more into chicken jerky. Commercial jerky can be hard to find, with limited options, and really expensive, though... so homemade chicken jerky treats were among the first things I tackled, on my own jerky making odyssey.

Trust me, being easily able to pop off small batches of my own chicken jerky whenever an idea hits?

Dude will never have to worry about variety, ever again.

I’ll post the others soon enough, but this Jamaican Jerk Chicken Jerky recipe is the one I was most excited about.

Moving back to Ontario from Minnesota meant renewed access to AMAZING Carribean foods - roti, doubles, and jerk, oh my!

Luckily for him, Porter was not born with the “Minnesota Palate”, and quickly fell in love with all of it. (I don’t think I could have stayed married to a “ketchup is too spicy” kind of guy!).

Given that jerk chicken was named after the drying method, I thought it would be a fun - and tasty! - idea to go full circle with it - and here we are with a jerk flavoured jerky.

This jerky recipe has an absolutely delicious flavor - it starts out more mild than you’d expect, with a lightly smoky flavor.

The intensity quickly builds, into a complex spiciness. It’s hot, but not “hot for the sake of being hot”, and it’s not overwhelming. This is a rich, incredibly flavourful heat - definitely a unique jerky flavor.

Best of all, it’s super easy to make - really, a great snack all around. Let me show you how to make it!

Equipment

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

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.

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.

Ingredients

This recipe has a bit of a laundry list of ingredients, but don’t be intimidated - the vast majority of them are just seasonings.

Really, if you’re looking at making jerk chicken anything, you likely already have them on hand.
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Beyond that, only a couple are more specialty ingredients - neither is very expensive, and a little goes a long way! They’re also standard in homemade jerky, and I use them in all of my homemade jerky recipes!

Anyway, let’s look at specifics:

Lean Ground Chicken

Use the highest quality ground chicken you can. Fresh or frozen will work, but frozen - as we used - 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 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 our for whatever kind of ground meat you prefer!

Soy Sauce, or Soy-Adjacent Sauce

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.

I do find regular soy sauce 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 ground chicken jerky.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market.

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.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats, and is what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It prevents the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

Chemical hampering of bacteria growth is not the only way to extend the shelf life - more on that in the recipe itself - but between the food safety, the flavour, and the colour... I always use it when making jerky.

Just note two things:

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.

Seasonings

This recipe uses a fairly traditional mix of dried herbs and spices, creating a homemade jerk seasoning mix:

Allspice
Dried Thyme
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Black Pepper
Ground Nutmeg

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.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Scotch Bonnet Peppers (Or Habaneros)
Green Onions
Brown Sugar
Ginger Paste
Salt

How to Make Jamaican Jerk 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 racks, set aside.

Place ground chicken in a medium mixing bowl, set aside.

Finely chop the Scotch Bonnet peppers and green onions. Place them in a mini food processor, along with all remaining ingredients. Blitz until a well-combined paste forms.

Using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well. REALLY well - it’s better to over handle it, than to under-mix it.

Return to the dehydrator and continue dehydrating at 165 F for another 2 - 3 hours. Actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken strips.

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

Homemade Jerky Storage

Allow Jerk Chicken Jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week so, or a few weeks in the fridge. I’ll usually use a resealable plastic bag.

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 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
Chipotle Chicken Jerky
Ginger Beef Jerky
Ground Venison Jerky
Homemade Salmon Jerky
Honey Garlic Chicken Jerky
Jalapeno Chicken Jerky
Lingonberry Elk Jerky
Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky
Mushroom Jerky, 2 Ways
Pumpkin Spice Chicken Jerky
Rosemary & Blueberry Beef Jerky
Spicy Garlic Chicken Jerky
Sriracha Chicken Jerky
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Pepperoni Jerky