If FCA engineers thought a 1,000 mile oil change was necessary; then it would be recommended.
I agree. I'm an old guy who is used to doing 5+ oil changes in the first 10K miles "back in the day" for a break-in. Those were also the days of 3K mile OCI and spark plugs lasted 15K miles or so.
From the Owner's Manual pgs. 276-277:
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the engine and
drivetrain (transmission and axle) in your vehicle.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km). After
the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55 mph (80 or
90 km/h) are desirable.
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the
limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in.
Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be detrimental
and should be avoided.
The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a
high-quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil changes
should be consistent with anticipated climate conditions
under which vehicle operations will occur. For the recom-
mended viscosity and quality grades, refer to “Fluids And
Lubricants” in “Technical Specifications”.
NOTE:
A new engine may consume some oil during its first few
thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This should be
considered a normal part of the break-in and not interpreted
as a problem. Please check your oil level with the engine oil
indicator often d uring the break in period. Add oil as
required.
While not all requirements and recommendations are straight from the engineer's mouth (there's some bureaucracy that everything goes through between concept and production), it is published by FCA so it is adequate enough for use. One of those is the first oil change.
As you can read from above there some recommended driving conditions but no early oil change recommended. There are plenty of opinions in between and it's your choice on what makes you comfortable.
I planned on changing mine at 5K but ended up going to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum (PUP) 5W20 around 7K miles. So far no "ill effects" of changing it too early or too late (I'm at 26K miles now). I switched weight to PUP 5W30 at 17K miles to give it a shot (plenty of opinions floating out there about that too) since it was a heat wave. Again, no "ill effects". No codes (for incorrect weight) and change in noise (tick), performance, or hand-calculated fuel economy. Next oil change is due this month (27K miles) so switching back to PUP 5W20. If I get the "tick" I'll either bump up to 30 weight or switch to Redline otherwise I'm settling down with PUP 5W20. I've got a 7 year extended warranty and they can't argue that the oil caused the problem.
Oh yeah, I'm using the Mobil 1 M1-113A filter. Wix would be my second choice. I thought about the SRT filters but I don't know how much longer the filter is. With the skid plate and 4wd system up front there's not a lot of room to work with to start with so haven't tried that yet.
Just my .02