Harlem’s Jerk Chicken King: The NYC Street Food Story | Street Food Hustle

In Harlem, we meet the king of NYC street food—a culinary legend behind the most famous jerk chicken. Discover the irresistible story of his passion,

tradition, and the secret to his incredibly tender and juicy chicken.
In this episode of our NYC Street Food Hustle, we travel to Harlem to meet a true culinary legend. We’ll dive deep into the history of his famous jerk chicken, learn about the traditional Jamaican

flavors that make his sauce so spectacular, and uncover the secret to his incredibly tender and juicy chicken. From his beginnings as a street vendor to becoming a local icon, this is a story of passion, tradition, and the power of great food.

What street food hustler do you want to see us feature next? Drop your suggestion in the comments below!

Craving more stories from the streets? Click here to watch the next episode of the Street Food Hustle

Street Food Hustle Ep #1 https://youtu.be/D4PTRyGFvNg
Street Food Hustle Ep #2 https://youtu.be/Bj8aw2rjUP8
Street Food Hustle Ep #3 https://youtu.be/CjTtSQ3F-og

#NYCStreetFood #JerkChicken #HarlemFood #Foodie #JerkChickenKing #NYCfood #streetfoodhustle

Kingston Kitchen – serving authentic Jamaican favorites:
jerk chicken, mac & cheese, oxtail, rice and beans, steamed veggies, and fish —
all topped with spicy Jamaican hot sauce 🔥🇯🇲
Located in Front Of
Adam Clayton Powell Jr State Office Building
163 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027

Youtube: @BehindFood
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindfoodNYC/

Whether you’re exploring Harlem’s street food, searching for hidden culinary gems in NYC, or discovering stories of resilience, join us as we celebrate the Jerk Chicken King of Harlem!

Behind every dish is a story. Don’t miss it — Subscribe to Behind Food.

0:00 – The Legend of Harlem’s Jerk Chicken King 🍗👑
1:20 – His Jamaican Roots & Early Hustle 🇯🇲
3:45 – The Secret Jerk Sauce Recipe 🌶️🔥
6:10 – Firing Up the Grill in Harlem
8:25 – Serving the First Plates to Locals
11:00 – Street Reactions: What People Really Think
13:20 – The Struggles and Hustle Behind the Food Truck
16:00 – Why This Jerk Chicken is Harlem’s Best
18:00 – The Freestyle Rap Vibes 🎤🔥
19:10 – The Legacy of the Jerk Chicken King
20:00 – Final Thoughts + Where to Find Him

So when it’s blazing like this, you got to throw a little water to put the fire down a little bit because you don’t want the chicken to burn. I got some nice jerk, you know, big up Kingston Kitchen jerk chicken, rice and peas, oxtail jerk chicken. You have to know how to turn your fire down just like you would turn your fire down on a cooking stove. You got to know how to turn your fire down on the grill so it don’t burn the chicken and chicken don’t be too dry. So we keep it moist and nice and tender. See them say we active Kingstone kitchen well active. Yeah man. See the chicken them active on the grill. Yeah, man. Chicken them fully active on the grill, man. No captain, man. You see, you know, big up Kingston Kitchen. Yeah, you know I’m Orlando and you know this is my business. Kingston Kitchen. I’ve been doing Kingston Kitchen since 2021. This is my business and it’s going good. A lot of people like my food. You know, I got one of the best jerk in all them. Sometime people come here, they line up, they look for me. Everywhere I go, if I move from this spot, they always looking for me. You don’t want to miss out on my jerk cuz I got the best jerk in all them. You know we on a square 125th by the state building right here. Yeah. 125th and 7th Avenue. Adam Clayton P. That’s where we at. Kingston Kitchen. Number one in all them. They look for my food wherever I go. They search for me. You already know. So this is what we do. I got nice jerk chicken. I make sure it’s properly done. Well done. I don’t try to rush the process. And next thing there’s a special way how to season the chicken for it to marinate properly. So you know the people will always like it and come back. Not just doing it to come out. We make sure it’s well done and it’s well cooked and it’s well seasoned properly. So one grill cannot keep up with the customer. So I have to have two grill because sometime this move so fast it coming for the jerk so much that I have to have two grill. Next thing that you have to do is constantly turning the chicken. So one side can get cooked and the other side can get cooked as well. It’s number one. Try not to make the chicken dry out or too burned. Some people don’t like it too burned. Some people don’t like it too spicy, so I like to have mild. Also got nice pepper sauce for the customers. Yeah. Kingston Kitchen. Beautiful oxtail. Nice and juicy. Soft. And I got nice rice and peas. Beautiful rice and peas right here. Yeah. Authentic. Very shelly and nice coconut rice. And over here I got nice steamed vegetables. Nice mac and cheese. Beautiful mac and cheese. And right here is where I got the nice steamed vegetables. Beautiful steamed veg. Also got esco fish. wide variety of meal. Everything is authentic. I got the best food. All right. You’re right. You’re right. Yes. Number one. You see? Real nice. Real nice. Nothing too burned. Everything is well done. Well cooked. Original. Ready jerk. Ready jerk. Ready jerk. Ready jerk. Yeah, just a little water to keep the fire down. See, this one is well done. This one is well done. You see? Beautiful. Real nice. Look at that. Look at that. That’s amazingly Just come on over and come check out Kingston Kitchen and try this good jerk chicken with this nice oxtail, rice and peas, steamed veg, macaroni salad. Everything is real nice. It’s number one in the city right now. This is the number one food in the city. I got so many customer that pull up daily. They love the food. They’ve been supporting me for years now and still coming. [Music] Yeah, I got some ready right now. I got 10, 15, and 20. 50 minutes. Okay, I got you. So that’s how it goes. A lot of customer come, they like the chicken. So I always keep it up and make sure it’s up to standard so the customer can always come back. 10, 15, and 20. Real good still. And I got hard bread. Fresh hardo bread. Real nice. So this is the spice, the special spice from Grace Jamaica. The Jamaican jerk guy. They always have the spice because it go with the jerk. It tastes real nice with the jerk as well. And I got the fresh hardwood bread from Jamaica as well. But this customer just want chicken. She don’t need no bread. 10 chicken. Yeah. Yeah. I’m going to tie it. I’m going to tie it. Tie this first. Yeah. I’m going to tie it for you. [Music] [Music] Not too far authentic. Best jerk chicken and all them. People don’t know the thing already. People don’t know the thing already. You want pepper puke sauce and a little pepper? That’s good. What time are you proud? I’m going to be here until about 8 9 [Music] [Music] keeping it active man. So when we have the customers, we always please the customer and make sure the customer feel pleased, you know. Yeah. Bless bless in 2021. Now we in 2025th and it’s just getting bigger and better. More customer coming each year. I have more new customers, you know, because they say they like the jerk. They like how I do it. So I just keep it that way. Make things professional. 125th and 7th Avenue by the state building. That’s where you find me. Kingston Kitchen. Number one jerk in all them. When it’s blazing like this, you got to throw a little water to put the fire down a little bit because you don’t want the chicken to burn. Yeah. I got some nice jerk. Nice jerk. Nice jerk. Ready? Ready. That’s one thing you have to practice not to let the chicken burn, but for them to jerk properly. I love doing this business because, you know, I’m a chef. Being a chef since I was in Jamaica and I was in school, I practice chef work. So, you know, I’m a chef. I love what I’m doing. I love my business. I have to come out and present make it possible every day. 125th Adam Clayton the P by the state building. That’s where I’m at. How much? 10 15 20 10 15 20 I got rice and peas oxtail. Just the chicken. How much? 10 1520. Just the chicken. One piece. $10 15 or 20. How much you need? I have a good one. Tender. Not too dark. It’s because the way how I cook it. I got some nice ready one. It’s because the way how I cook it. I know what I’m doing. I see it. Yeah. I got some nice tender. Well done. I’mma take my ass back to the back to the crib. Back to the L. went back to sleep at till 4. Where are you? And just booked the flight. Where are you? Just booked the flight. And I’m like, I’m going just go. I’m going just come back home later on today. Type [Music] come back home later on this authentic right here. You want macar or you want veg? What you got again? Big dog. My bad. You said macar macaroni or vegetables. Let me get this. And you said it’s $10. 15. 15. All right. So look. Oh, see. Yeah, we got we got we got we got we got this in St. Louis, man. But it ain’t this. You know what I’m saying? Yeah. Yeah. Believe I want I I eat I eat the closest thing. That’s why I be getting it. Yeah. But not on the street like this though. You know what I’m saying? Yeah. St. Louis. That’s what state? Uh Missouri. Oh, nice. Yeah, that’s from uh that’s from that’s where Nelly from. Huh? Nelly the rapper. Nelly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Respect. Thank you. Yeah. Bless. Bless. Back to Jamaica where I used to be at. I used to work in Kingston. I used to live in Jungle. Yeah. That’s on it Garden. I know. I used to work for a restaurant in Spanish Town by San Diego Plaza. Yeah, I was the chef over there by Taste But Delight. But I decide, you know, I want to get to America. And you know, I met this woman. She’s now my wife. She helped me to get to America. We married and she helped me to file my papers to come to America. And you know while I’m in America a lot of people want me to work for them by doing a by doing a chef work but I decide that you know I want to have my own business. So you know in 2021 I started jerking chicken and I see where it’s worked out. People like the food they come along. So I used to have one grill now I have to get two grill a bigger truck coming so many customers and I don’t want to disappoint my customers so I have to elevate to a next level well to be honest to you right now moving forward from the truck I want to own like buy like two more truck and I also want to own a fivestar restaurant that’s the goal you understand what I’m saying because a lot of restaurants is around here I’ve tried their food and a lot of them not cooking right. So I decide that I want to present good food to the people so they can know what it’s like to have good nice tasty food. You understand? So that’s where I’m going moving forward. I’m going to get a fivestar restaurant next. But for now I keeping it busy with the jerk axtail rice and peas jerk chicken steamed vegetable. I keep it busy. So, you know, we outside try to make sure I’m outside every day. I work from Tuesdays to Saturdays. So, I take two days off. Always prepare up, clean my meat, prepare my meat, make sure they properly season and all of that. Yes. So, you know, a lot of people know me in all them in Manatan here in New York City. They like my food. So, you know, they always want to see me outside with the food. Once I’m not outside, they going to be like, “Where are you at?” They call my phone and all of that. But the whole point is I got the best food in all them. One of the best food in all them in Manhattan. You understand? I’m from Jamaica. I get here to America and you know, Good afternoon, sir. How you doing, sir? Good. Um, can I have a meal? Yes. So, you know, um, what you got for the sides? I got rice and pe. A lot of people love my food, man, because I do it good, you know. All right. But that macaroni salad hit. How much is that? $15. Come through something. The same thing happen to Yeah, man. Um, all right. Tell them, tell them say we active plus we clean every day and we out with a cold up like ice in a fridge. Colon shot find where we live. Put on me shirt and a chicken me a jerk. Dirty and dirty bad mind splirt them shirt work. Tell them say we active plus we clean every day and we out. We not cold up like ice in a fridge. Colon shot every girl want. Tell them say we active. My jerk them active. My food well active. A success man wanting a real life and couple car feel like when you have money I tell you say it real nice. Real nice. Yeah. A success cause we don’t like stress. We are fight against poverty. So we are protest. When you go at school, just put in your best cars. Education are the key to success. Success, success. Yay. Success. Success. Wo. Success. Success. Me tire with no longer gutter. Some full shine. Smile face. And I try to take what’s mine after you work. So go every d some of them sprinkle powder some squeeze lime. Success. Success. Yeah. When me come outside every day at the chicken me a jerk. Put in the work me put in the work. Make the money for buy me pants and me shirt. Tell them say we active. Kingston kitchen. Well active. Yeah man. See how the chicken them active on the grill. Yeah man. The chicken them fully active on the grill man. No capping man. You see it. Rice and peas. Oxtail. Jerk chicken. Jerk chicken. 10 15 or 20. Oh. And then for 10 is how many legs? A leg and tie with a extra piece for 10. Yeah. Chopped up with sauce. I got hard bread. That sounds pretty good. Really nice. No, I need that. I need the jerk chicken. Yep. Pretend. But I don’t I just want I don’t want the rice. I just want Yeah, chicken. Yeah. Yeah. You want pepper on it or no? I’ll give the sauce. Yeah. Pepper. What are you doing? I thought I thought you was over there. No, I’m not. I was way back there. My head, oh man, my man is right here. I would have been there if I kept going, but I would assume he wasn’t there. Yeah. Way to went home. Oh my god. Right here. Bought me some salad. Yeah. Respect that. How you doing? I got some nice one ready. Really nice. Too dry now. Came out. Yeah. He’s making a interview. How many? I’ve been You buying from me like two year now? Yeah. Since since he been out here? Oh, yeah. So, you loy? What? I walked purposely over here hoping he was out here cuz that’s all I want is that with that bread and I’m going to make a little salad, you know, from home. I just bought Trader Joe’s and brought my little lettuce and stuff. Got to keep it down, you know. I don’t want sick and way to make you sick. But, you know, that really went with it. I ain’t going to lie, I want some collard green and some macaroons and cheese with that. I’m not going to lie. Yeah, it’s hard to find it. I don’t know if they have that good on the side. They all make it so commercial now, you know. See all the chicken nice, brother. Hold on. Let me go to my mother. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]