Jamaican Jerk Chicken

For the chicken

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

For the jerk marinade

4–6 Scotch bonnet peppers, chopped (4 for gentle heat, 6 for full fire)
1 small red onion, chopped
4–6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 scallions, ends trimmed
1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 large orange)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the mango salsa

2 ripe mangoes, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Blend the marinade. Combine all marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Marinate. Pierce the thighs lightly with a knife so the marinade can work its way in. Place in a large bowl or sealable bag, pour the marinade over, and rub thoroughly to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours — overnight, ideally, for the fullest flavor.

Grill. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grates. Grill the thighs skin-side down for 5–7 minutes to char, then flip and cook 8–12 minutes more, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. (To bake: 400°F for 35–40 minutes, to the same internal temperature.) Discard used marinade.

Prepare the salsa. While the chicken cooks, toss the mango, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt together. Let it rest 10 minutes for the flavors to come together.

Plate and pour. Rest the chicken 5 minutes off the heat. Spoon the mango salsa generously over each piece.

Scotch bonnets are seriously hot. Use 4 if you're heat-sensitive, push to 6 if you want full Caribbean fire. Wear gloves when chopping.

1 whole chicken serves 4 generously, and 2 mangoes yield about 2 cups of salsa — roughly 1/2 cup per serving, which is the right ratio.

Leftover salsa keeps 2 days and is excellent on eggs, fish, or tacos.

Overnight marinating gives a deeper, more developed flavor than the 2-hour minimum.

Our Verméil (vehr-MAY) is a Demi-Sec — a lightly sweet sparkling wine named for the delicate technique of plating sterling silver with a thin layer of gold.

When sparkling champagne first emerged in the late 17th century, sugar was flooding into Europe from Brazil, the Caribbean, and eventually Louisiana, and sparkling wine was most commonly a sweet drink. Modern tastes have driven most méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines to the dry side, but Verméil keeps that extra touch of dosage.

Its notes of tangerine, honeycomb, and ginger cool the heat of Scotch bonnet in jerk chicken and lift the warm spice of allspice and cinnamon.

The touch of sweetness in this wine carries beautifully into dessert, too, and we recommend it alongside coconut panna cotta, rum cake, or fresh mango all on it's own.

We hope you enjoy this pairing and make the recipe at home this week, or join us at the winery for the full Bubbles & Bites: Colors of the Caribbean experience.