Ainsley Harriott Junkanoo Jerk-Spiced Chicken with Guava Glaze Recipe

Ainsley Harriott’s Junkanoo Jerk-Spiced Chicken with Guava Glaze is a bold, festive Caribbean dish that combines the fiery heat of classic jerk seasoning with a sweet, tropical guava glaze — inspired by the legendary Junkanoo street carnival of Nassau, Bahamas. Ready in under an hour, this show-stopping recipe brings the spirit of the Bahamas straight to your dinner table.

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Ainsley Harriott Junkanoo Jerk Chicken Ingredients

For the Jerk Spice Rub

• • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks

• • 1 tsp ground allspice

• • 1 tsp smoked paprika

• • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• • ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• • ½ tsp ground black pepper

• • 1 tsp dried thyme

• • 1 tsp garlic powder

• • 1 tsp onion powder

• • 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

• • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• • 1 tbsp olive oil

• • Juice of 1 lime

• • 1 tsp sea salt

For the Guava Glaze

• • 4 tbsp guava jam or guava jelly

• • 1 tbsp dark rum

• • 1 tbsp lime juice

• • 1 tsp hot pepper sauce (Caribbean style)

• • 1 tsp brown sugar

• • Pinch of sea salt

To Serve

• • Rice and peas

• • Fresh lime wedges

• • Sliced spring onions and red chilli, to garnish

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How To Make Ainsley Harriott Junkanoo Jerk Chicken

1. 1. Make the jerk rub: In a large bowl, combine all the dry spices — allspice, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, dried thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add the Scotch bonnet, dark soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice, and sea salt. Mix into a thick paste.

1. 1. Marinate: Score the chicken pieces deeply with a sharp knife — 2–3 cuts per piece. Add to the spice paste and rub thoroughly into every cut and under the skin. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, ideally overnight.

1. 1. Preheat: Bring the chicken to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan / Gas 6).

1. 1. Roast: Place chicken pieces skin-side up on a wire rack over a roasting tin. Roast for 35–40 minutes until the skin is deeply charred and the juices run clear.

1. 1. Make the glaze: While the chicken roasts, combine guava jam, dark rum, lime juice, hot pepper sauce, brown sugar, and sea salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring for 3–4 minutes until smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened.

1. 1. Glaze the chicken: In the last 8 minutes of cooking, brush the guava glaze generously over every piece of chicken. Return to the oven for the final 8 minutes until the glaze caramelises and turns sticky and deeply glossy.

1. 1. Rest and serve: Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with sliced spring onions and red chilli. Serve over rice and peas with fresh lime wedges.

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Recipe Tips

• • Score deeply: The deeper you cut the chicken, the more the jerk marinade penetrates the flesh and the more the guava glaze seeps into the meat during the final roast.

• • Guava jam substitute: If you can’t find guava jam, mango chutney mixed with a tablespoon of apricot jam gives a very similar tropical sweetness. Caribbean supermarkets or online retailers stock guava jelly year-round.

• • Scotch bonnet heat: De-seeded, one Scotch bonnet gives medium heat. Keep the seeds for authentic Bahamian fire, or replace entirely with 1 tsp of hot pepper sauce for a milder family-friendly version.

• • Char is flavour: Don’t be alarmed when the skin looks very dark — that blackened, charred exterior is exactly what makes jerk chicken taste authentic. It should be dark, not pale.

• • Glaze timing: Apply the guava glaze only in the last 8 minutes. Applied too early, the sugar in the jam burns before the chicken is cooked through.

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💡 Make It Your Own Recipe — Creative Twists

• • Swap guava for passion fruit curd mixed with a teaspoon of honey for a sharper, more floral tropical glaze that works beautifully with the smoky jerk spices

• • Use the jerk spice rub on whole cauliflower steaks — roast at 200°C for 25 minutes and glaze with guava exactly the same way for a stunning vegetarian centrepiece

• • Turn leftovers into jerk chicken tacos — shred the cold glazed chicken and pile into warm flour tortillas with Caribbean coleslaw, sliced avocado, and a squeeze of lime for a next-day Caribbean taco night

• • Add a tablespoon of peanut butter to the guava glaze for a Caribbean-Asian peanut-guava sauce that pairs unexpectedly brilliantly with the jerk spices

• • Combine with the Bahamian Coleslaw recipe already on your site — the cool, creamy citrus slaw is the perfect contrast to the sticky, fiery glazed chicken and makes a complete Nassau-inspired feast

• • Replace dark rum in the glaze with coconut rum for a sweeter, more tropical Malibu-style glaze that softens the heat and adds a creamy coconut note

• • Double the guava glaze and use half as a dipping sauce on the side — it transforms the dish into a proper party-style platter

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What To Serve With Ainsley Harriott Junkanoo Jerk Chicken

• • Rice and Peas: The essential Jamaican base — coconut milk and kidney beans soak up the guava glaze that drips from the chicken

• • Ainsley’s Bahamian-Style Coleslaw: The cool, ginger-lime slaw perfectly cuts through the sticky, fiery glaze

• • Fried Plantain: Sweet caramelised plantain echoes the guava sweetness and adds a proper Caribbean side

• • Corn on the Cob: Grilled with lime butter, a recurring Ainsley pairing throughout his Bahamas series

• • Carnival Rum Punch: Serve with a rum punch cocktail to complete the full Junkanoo festival experience

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How To Store Ainsley Harriott Junkanoo Jerk Chicken

• • Refrigerate: Store cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cold leftovers are excellent shredded into sandwiches, tacos, or salads.

• • Freeze: Freeze cooked chicken (without glaze) for up to 2 months. Make fresh guava glaze when reheating. Defrost fully in the fridge overnight before reheating.

• • Reheat: Reheat in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes covered with foil, then uncover for 5 minutes. Brush with a little fresh guava glaze to revive the sticky coating.

• • Marinated raw chicken: The jerk-marinated uncooked chicken can be frozen for up to 1 month — ideal for meal prepping ahead of a BBQ or dinner party.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving, based on 4 servings)

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	~395 kcal
Protein	38g
Carbohydrates	14g
Fat	19g
Saturates	4.5g
Sugar	10g
Salt	1.6g

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FAQs

Try More Ainsley Harriott Recipes:

• • Ainsley Harriott Ultimate Jerk Chicken Recipe

• • Ainsley Harriott Carnival Rum Punch Chicken Wings