Crispy and seasoned on the outside and juicy on the inside, this Jamaican jerk baked turkey breast recipe is a sure fire way to level up your poultry game! The jerk spice rub uses spices you will surely find in your pantry, and you will have to resist drinking the caramelized and spicy Jamaican jerk gravy! Tender and juicy chunks of white meat swimming in a sea of aromatic Caribbean spices make up this unique oven-baked Jamaican jerk turkey recipe.
Make sure to check out the ‘how to’ video above the recipe card for step-by-step visuals!
Jerk Sauce For Chicken, Turkey and Meat:
I don’t like to label this sauce just a ‘gravy’, because it is SO much more than that. Traditional turkey gravy is mild and smooth, with turkey overtones and earthy undertones, such as onion and garlic flavors. This Jamaican jerk gravy is jam PACKED with sweet and spicy toasted elements, such as caramelized sugars, fiery pepper and warm and nutty nutmeg.
The reason for the flavor bomb of Caribbean cuisine is our use of the simple jerk spice rub not only on the turkey, but also in the gravy! It is SUPER easy to make, and you likely have most of the ingredients sitting in your pantry right now!
Take it from me and make extra; you’re going to want it again!
How To Make Jamaican Jerk Baked Turkey Breast:
Obviously this recipe was developed as a oven roasted turkey breast recipe, but you can absolutely make the same recipe with skin on chicken breasts, a whole chicken or a whole turkey! Just adjust the cooking times accordingly. Let’s dive right in!
- Prep The Bird – Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the room temperature bone in skin on turkey breast on a roasting rack, and pat dry.
- Make The Jerk Spice Blend: Combine the onion powder (or dried minced onion), garlic powder, cayenne pepper, celery seed, salt, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, brown sugar (or granulated if you don’t have brown), dried thyme, cumin, nutmeg and a dash of ground cloves in a bowl. Mix it together and put 2 tbsp aside for the gravy. With the remaining spice rub, add lime juice, olive oil and butter and mix well.
- Rub The Bird – Using your hands, carefully separate the skin from the breast of the turkey. This allows it to get nice and crispy when cooking! Rub half of the jerk butter mixture under the skin, and rub the other half directly on the skin.
- Bake It: Oven roast the turkey breast on the middle rack in your oven until the thickest part of the breast reads an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer. This is very dependent on your oven, how many times you open the oven door, and the exact size of the bird. In general, an unstuffed turkey breast will cook for 1 1/2- 2 hrs for a 2-3 pound bird, or 2 1/4-3 1/4 hours for a 6-8 pound bird.
- Let It Rest: Once done cooking, loosely cover the turkey with aluminum foil, and allow the turkey breast to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
See below for how to make the gravy!
How To Make The Jamaican Jerk Gravy Recipe:
This is an added step once the turkey is done, but trust me, you do NOT want to skip this!
Once the turkey is done cooking, set it aside and cover with tin foil. Scrape any drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan into a medium sized skillet, fat and all!
Pour in between 1/2 a cup & 1 cup of chicken broth, depending on how many turkey drippings you got.
Bring the sauce pan to a boil, and boil for 60 seconds before running the mixture through a wire mesh sieve to remove any fat or bone pieces. Reserve about 1/3 cup of the strained gravy, and add the rest to the skillet.
Mix 2 tbsp of flour into the reserved gravy and whisk until there are no clumps. Pour this mixture into the sauce pan with the rest of the gravy, and whisk to fully combine.
Now add the 2 tbsp of reserved jerk seasoning to the gravy! Whisk well, and adjust the thickness according to preference. If you would like it thinner, add more chicken stock. If you would like it thicker, repeat the step where you added the flour, but start with 1 tsp at a time until the desired thickness is met.
Pour it into a gravy bowl and serve over the jerk turkey! (Try not to drink it all first)
Need a roaster rack to cook the turkey in? This Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless 16-Inch Rectangular Roaster with Rack is perfect!
Frequently Asked Questions About Jerk Turkey:
| Is it spicy? If so, HOW spicy? | So, I’m a pretty big baby when it comes to spice. I grew up in the North East, and unlike my friends from the South West, I didn’t grown up eating hot peppers or spicy chillies! I did not find this to be too spicy AT ALL. It’s enough to know that it’s there, without overwhelming you and making you wish you had a glass of milk! If you are still worried, try only doing 1/8 a tsp of cayenne and only a few red pepper flakes. |
| Do I HAVE to use brown sugar? | You guys know me, I love to give you alternative ingredients that you can use, just in case you are missing something. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can absolutely use granulated sugar. Just note that it will slightly change the flavor profile, but the general ‘sweetness‘ that you expect from a traditional jerk will still be there. Heck, I used granulated sugar last time I made this and it was GREAT! |
| Is this a traditional jerk rub recipe? | Not exactly. This is my own adaptation of a traditional dry jerk rub. Most jerk recipes don’t call for celery seed, but I love its anti-inflammatory properties, and it adds an interesting depth of ‘spice‘ that I appreciate. I also don’t use all spice or ginger, and I toss in a pinch of cloves. It is VERY similar, but I used spices that I personally always have on hand. Feel free to experiment! |
| How do I safely thaw a turkey breast? | The absolute BEST way to do this is to place it in your refrigerator for 24-48 hrs. My fully frozen 6.5 pound turkey breast completely thawed after about 40 hours. |
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Jamaican Jerk Baked Turkey Breast
Equipment
- roasting rack
Ingredients
- 1 4-7 pound bone in, skin on turkey breast safely thawed
- 1 tbsp onion powder or dried minced onion
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tsp brown sugar (can substitute granulated sugar if needed, but brown is preferred)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- dash of ground cloves
- 1/8 cup lime juice (usually the juice of 1/2 of a large, juicy lime)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Jerk Gravy Ingredients
- between 1/2 a cup and 1 cup of chicken broth or stock, depending on amount of drippings
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- all of the drippings from the turkey
- 2 tbsp jerk seasoning made for turkey
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