Jerk Chicken Wings

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

21 Comments

5 from 5 votes
6 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
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Jerk Chicken Wings are the perfect appetizer marinated overnight in a homemade jerk sauce with green onions, jalapenos and spices baked crispy in the oven.

Just like my recipe for Buffalo Wings, Jerk Chicken Wings are the perfect game day snack that you can whip up for your guests, although you will need to let them marinade overnight. They’re full of rich, delicious flavor, with a smoky kick, the perfect addition to our collection of Appetizer Recipes.

Jerk Chicken Wings with Ranch Dipping Sauce

JERK CHICKEN WINGS

Looking for a new, unique appetizer? Want to wow your family with something different than the classic chicken wing recipes? This Jerk Chicken Wing recipe is incredibly easy to make, and the overnight marinade makes them extremely tender and flavorful. You can also customize them with some extra spice for that one friend of yours who can’t get enough heat in their food, or you can add a tasty dip. 

Jerk Chicken Wings have a delicious smoky flavor, and are filling enough to keep everyone happy without making them feel like they’ve eaten too much rich food. Make these a day ahead and keep them in the fridge overnight so they’re ready to bake and perfectly marinated.

MORE DELICIOUS CHICKEN WING RECIPES

JERK CHICKEN WINGS FAQS

  • What is jerk seasoning made of? Usually chiles, cinnamon, garlic, Scotch bonnet peppers, nutmeg, allspice, and thyme, but there are a lot of variations. 
  • Is Jerk Chicken spicy? “Jerk” refers to a cooking style, where meat is marinated and cooked in a blend of jerk spices. It can be as spicy as you want to make it. 
  • Are Cajun and Jerk seasoning the same? No, there are key differences in texture and flavor. Jerk seasoning is Jamaican and is usually a paste. Creole seasonings came from French colonists and is usually a powder. 

Jerk Chicken Wing being dipped into Ranch Dressing cup

VARIATIONS ON JERK CHICKEN WINGS

  • Add ins: Try mixing in some finely chopped jalapenos to make your Jerk Chicken spicy, or you can try scallions, cilantro, or even chopped garlic cloves. 
  • Gluten free: This recipe is already very gluten free, but it’s always a good idea to check the labels on your ingredients to be sure. Soy sauce sometimes has gluten in it, so be sure to choose a celiac-friendly bottle when you’re shopping for ingredients. 

Tray full of Jerk Chicken Wings

HOW LONG ARE JERK CHICKEN WINGS GOOD?

  • Serve: You shouldn’t leave Jerk Chicken Wings out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. You need to refrigerate them to keep them for later. 
  • Store: Jerk Chicken Wings are good in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best results, cover the chicken wings with plastic wrap or put them in an airtight container that can completely seal. You should also allow the wings to cool all the way down to room temperature before you freeze or refrigerate them. 
  • Freeze: Cooked Jerk Chicken Wings are good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Keep them completely sealed to keep moisture from getting onto the wings. 

MORE DELICIOUS BUFFALO WING RECIPES:

WHEN ARE JERK CHICKEN WINGS SAFE TO EAT?

According to the USDA’s Official Website, chicken is cooked through and safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (73.8 degrees C). You should always check the temperature of your chicken before you eat it, no matter how cooked it looks on the outside. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to get an accurate reading. 

Baked Jerk Chicken Wings on baking sheet

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Dinner, then Dessert

Jerk Chicken Wings

Jerk Chicken Wings are the perfect appetizer marinated overnight in a homemade jerk sauce with green onions, jalapenos and spices baked crispy in the oven.
Yield 6 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Jamaican
Author Sabrina Snyder
Baked Crispy Jerk Chicken Wings
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 yellow onion , chopped
  • 6 stalks green onions , chopped
  • 3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 jalapeno pepper , seeded, deveined and halved
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3 pounds chicken wing drumettes
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • In a food processor add the green onions, onion, jalapeno, soy sauce, vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, thyme, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice and puree until smooth.
  • Place chicken in a large ziplock bag with half the marinade and reserve the rest of the marinade in the refrigerator.
  • Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Place chicken drumettes on prepared baking sheet and reserve marinade left in the bowl.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
  • Brush ½ the reserved marinade onto the chicken wings and bake an additional 20 minutes.
  • Flip the chicken and brush the rest of the marinade on the chicken and cook and additional 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1671mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 442IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

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Jerk Chicken Wings collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Can you freeze the wings after they have been cooke? What is the best way to reheat them?

    Thanks for your help!

    Reply

    1. HOW LONG ARE JERK CHICKEN WINGS GOOD?

      Serve: You shouldn’t leave Jerk Chicken Wings out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. You need to refrigerate them to keep them for later. 
      Store: Jerk Chicken Wings are good in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best results, cover the chicken wings with plastic wrap or put them in an airtight container that can completely seal. You should also allow the wings to cool all the way down to room temperature before you freeze or refrigerate them. 
      Freeze: Cooked Jerk Chicken Wings are good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Keep them completely sealed to keep moisture from getting onto the wings. 

      Reply

  2. Making the marinade now. When recipe says to put marinated drumettes in the oven, do you mean both drumettes and flats? Might make sense to do drumettes first as theyre larger, but flats (not the tips) don’t seem to have a mention.

    Reply

    1. Yes, drumettes and flats. You’re right, we didn’t mention flats. I will make a note of that!

      Reply

    1. You can make this in a crockpot but they will obviously not be as crispy as when done in the oven. That is up to your preference.

      Reply

  6. Hi: Can I marinate the chicken wings 24 hours in the refrigerator prior to baking ? cmjh

    Reply

    1. Hi! I wouldn’t suggest marinating much longer than the 8 suggested hours, meat when exposed to certain seasoning breaks down after too long and can become stringy.

      Reply

  7. These look AMAZING. I’d love to try this recipe, but am a bit confused by the ingredient list– when do you use the salt and cinnamon? Also the instructions call for nutmeg, but there is no quantity listed in the ingredient list. Could you clarify? Thanks so much!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for catching that! I decided against using the nutmeg but cinnamon instead and never edited the card. I’ve fixed the recipe card to read correctly now (fingers crossed). Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

  9. Thank you for this awesome recipe. I was looking for a perfect appetizer and found this! I don’t regret giving this recipe a try.

    Reply

  11. These are incredible, so perfectly juicy and flavorful. What do you think about making them in the air fryer would it work?

    Reply

  12. Hey Sabrina, thanks for all the great recipies!! Can I fry these, I’m not a huge fan of baked wings. Thanks and stay safe!

    Reply