Jerk Chicken Tacos
Loaded with flavor, these jerk chicken tacos are a delicious twist on Caribbean flavors. Tender and juicy jerk chicken is layered with a creamy jerk aioli, a simple, tangy slaw, and topped with a sweet touch from the pineapple salsa. Absolutely delicious!
🍍 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- The flavor of these jerk chicken tacos is absolutely incredible. After the first bite, you’ll be feeling pretty tropical! From the jerk seasoned chicken and jerk aioli, to the tang of slaw, and the final touch of sweetness from the pineapple salsa. Every taco is packed full of deliciously irresistible flavor that the whole family will love!
- While there’s multiple components to this recipe, it’s still super easy to make! Once the chicken has cooked, all you have to do is make the jerk, slaw, and salsa. There’s no cooking or super involved steps with those, so they come together super quickly!
- These jerk chicken tacos are fun to serve on weeknights, and impressive enough to serve to company! Feeding a larger crowd? You can easily double this recipe. Cook your chicken in batches, and use larger mixing bowls for the aioli, slaw and salsa. You can take the tropical theme a step further by serving some refreshing cucumber water with this meal!
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- You can totally prep this ahead of time! Cook the chicken, slice it, and store in an airtight container. Prep the jerk aioli, slaw, and pineapple salsa, storing each in their own individual airtight container. Once you’re ready to eat them, heat the chicken in your microwave, build your tacos, and enjoy! They’ll last up to 3 days in the refrigerator if stored in an airtight container.
- These jerk chicken tacos can easily be made gluten-free. You can totally turn this into a delicious taco bowl, or switch out regular tortillas for a gluten-free version. Either way, you’re going to love these tacos!
☀️ More Recipes Perfect for Warmer Weather
- Lemon Pepper Pasta
- Tuna Tetrazzini
- Jerk Chicken Alfredo
- Fully Loaded Burger Bowl with “Special Sauce”
- Quick & Easy Blackened Shrimp
- Mango Habanero Wings
- Chile Relleno Burrito
Jerk Chicken Tacos
Loaded with flavor, these jerk chicken tacos are a delicious twist on Caribbean flavors. Tender and juicy jerk chicken is layered with a creamy jerk aioli, a simple, tangy slaw, and topped with a sweet touch from the pineapple salsa.
Recipe Makes: tacos
Equipment
- Large skillet
- tongs
- internal meat thermometer
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- small bowl
- spoon
- medium bowl
- wooden spoon
- medium bowl
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
For the Jerk Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 2–3 chicken breasts depending on size)
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
- 2 tablespoons jerk seasoning (more or less to taste)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
For the Jerk Aioli
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon jerk seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons milk (plus more to thin as needed)
- 1 pinch salt (more or less to taste)
For the Slaw
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 pinch salt (more or less to taste)
For the Pineapple Salsa
- 2 cups diced pineapple
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
For the Tacos
- 6 8-inch flour tortillas
Instructions
For the Jerk Chicken
- Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Once seasoned with salt and pepper, heavily coat both sides with jerk seasoning. Set aside.
- Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until oil shimmers. Add chicken and cook 3 to 5 minutes on one side, without moving. Flip chicken over and cook other side 3 to 5 minutes, without moving.
- Once chicken reaches internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit, transfer chicken to cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice chicken into desired size pieces and set aside.
For the Jerk Aioli
- Combine mayonnaise, jerk seasoning, lime juice, paprika, milk, and salt in small mixing bowl. Stir to combine. For a thinner consistency, add 1 teaspoon additional milk. Set aside.
For the Slaw
- Combine shredded cabbage, lime juice, and salt in medium bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
For the Pineapple Salsa
- Combine diced pineapple, lime juice, chopped cilantro, diced red onions in medium bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
To Assemble Tacos
- Place sliced chicken onto one tortilla. Drizzle chicken with jerk aioli. Add slaw and pineapple salsa. Repeat for remaining tacos. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For Larger Chicken Breasts: Larger chicken breasts will need more cook time. Make sure to use chicken breasts of equal size and thickness. Slice chicken breasts in half to create cutlets if chicken is extremely thick.
Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.
Nutrition
Serving: 1taco | Calories: 373kcal | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 978mg | Potassium: 526mg | Total Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Net Carbs: 32g | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 111mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?Be sure to leave us a rating and review below!
