All Fired UpBBQ & Grill

Jerk Chicken and Jerk Cauliflower

Name: Jerk Chicken and Jerk Cauliflower
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 1 x quantity Jerk Marinade (see recipe); For the Jerk Chicken:; 6 bone in, skin on free range chicken thighs; For the Jerk Cauliflower:; 1 head of cauliflower, sliced into steaks; Olive oil

Nico ReynoldsFrom the series · All Fired Up

40 min totalServes 3Medium

Time40 min

Serves3

SkillMedium

ShowAll Fired Up

Method

For the jerk Chicken: Score the chicken skin with a sharp knife.

Coat the chicken with the marinade, making sure that it gets into every little crevice of the bird. Leave for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Grill for 40 mins on indirect heat with the lid closed or until cooked through (check with a meat thermometer if you’re unsure).

Finish on direct heat to crisp up the skin.

For the Veggie Jerk: Prepare the Cauliflower by cutting it into thick steaks.

Mix a few tablespoons of the jerk marinade with a drizzle of olive oil and smear over the cauliflower

To cook the cauliflower place it onto direct heat for 5-6 mins each side.

Cook's notes

Score the skin and work the marinade into every little crevice of the chicken. Anything from 30 minutes is fine, but a full 24 hours in the fridge is my ideal window for the flavours to permeate the meat.
Use your barbecue like an oven: coals banked to one side, chicken on the indirect side with the lid closed, then finish over direct heat to crisp the skin. A meat thermometer settles any doubt.
Jerk is made for entertaining — mix a big batch and get everything marinating in advance, so the food just goes straight on the grill when your guests arrive.
Not a cauliflower fan? Jerk is vegetarian and vegan friendly — try it on mushrooms, courgettes, aubergine or even jackfruit; it tastes good every time.
If you're cooking for vegans, give the veggies their own side of the grill and their own tongs so nothing crosses over from the meat.

Serve with In the restaurant it goes out with salad or wedges and you're on to a winner. At home, rice and peas with some fried plantain is the full Jamaican treatment, and something cold and a little sweet to drink takes the edge off the chilli.

Make ahead & storage Both keep well in the fridge for a couple of days. The chicken reheats nicely in a hot oven, and leftover jerk chicken pulled off the bone is excellent cold in a wrap the next day.

BBQ & Grill40 Minutes

Recipe by Nico Reynolds · From the series All Fired Up · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

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