What is the Jamaican dish of spicy grilled chicken called?

The Jamaican dish of spicy grilled chicken is called jerk chicken.

Jerk chicken is prepared by dry-rubbing or wet-marinating chicken with Jamaican jerk seasoning before cooking it over heat. The seasoning commonly features allspice—called pimento in Jamaica—along with Scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, scallions, garlic, ginger, and other spices. Smoke and high heat give the meat its characteristic savory, fiery flavor.

Jerk cooking is native to Jamaica and is linked to Indigenous Taíno and Arawak techniques adopted and developed by Jamaican Maroons, descendants of Africans who escaped slavery during the 17th century. Pork is another classic jerk meat, so “jerk” describes a cooking style as well as a chicken dish.

Jerk chicken is not the same as curry chicken, which uses a curry-spice profile and is usually prepared as a saucy stew. Ackee and saltfish is Jamaica’s national dish, but it is a salt-cod and fruit preparation rather than a grilled meat dish.