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grilled jerk chicken with mango salsa

(14 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Angela Gray
Bristol, TN

My husband and I had jerk chicken for the first time at a little restaurant in Asheville, NC called Salsa's. We were celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. The wonderful fusion of flavors inspired us. When we returned home we immediately went to work on a recipe. We came up with this after tweaking and a lot of taste testing. We have several dinner parties a year and we always serve this. My husband pulled together the Mango Salsa one day. We love it served over the Jerk Chicken with black beans and rice and sweet potato. It is very convenient because it all mostly goes on the grill!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

If you don't like Jerk chicken or spicy dishes, this chicken recipe might not be for you. But if you do like spicy, this is for you. We used three jalapenos in the mango salsa and found it quite spicy (and we like spice). Adjust the jalapenos to suit your heat tolerance. The marinade has all the classic flavors of jerk chicken with the added Scotch Bonnet pepper that gives it an extra kick. The mango salsa is so good alone but on top of the chicken, it's perfect and gives it a Caribbean feel. This recipe does have a few steps, but it's perfect on the weekends when you have a little extra time. A great grilled dish on a warm summer evening alongside a frozen tropical drink.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(14 ratings)
yield 4 -6 depending on size of chicken
prep time 1 Hr 30 Min
cook time 20 Min
method Grill

Ingredients For grilled jerk chicken with mango salsa

  • 1 Tbsp
    ground allspice
  • 1 Tbsp
    dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    ground sage
  • 3/4 tsp
    ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp
    ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp
    fresh garlic, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp
    sugar
  • 1/4 c
    olive oil, extra virgin
  • 1/4 c
    soy sauce, light
  • 3/4 c
    white vinegar
  • 1/2 c
    orange juice, fresh
  • 1
    lime, juiced
  • 1
    Scotch Bonnet or jalapeno pepper, finely chopped *see note
  • 3
    green onions
  • 1 c
    onion, finely chopped
  • 4-6
    chicken breast, split and pounded *see note
  • MANGO SALSA
  • 2
    ripe mangoes
  • 1 md
    onions, vidalia, peeled and chopped
  • 3
    fresh tomatillos, chopped
  • 3 lg
    ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 lg
    green pepper, chopped
  • 3-6
    fresh jalapenos, chopped *see note
  • 1 bunch
    fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 2
    limes, juiced

How To Make grilled jerk chicken with mango salsa

  • Onions, green onions, garlic, and Scotch Bonnet in a bowl.
    1
    In a large bowl, add chopped onions, green onions, garlic, and Scotch Bonnet.
  • Seasonings added to the onions and pepper.
    2
    Toss the seasoning with the chopped vegetables.
  • Olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, and lime juice in a bowl.
    3
    In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, and lime juice.
  • Pouring wet ingredients over the onions and peppers.
    4
    Slowly add the wet ingredients to the vegetables and spices. Stir until combined well.
  • Reserving part of the marinade.
    5
    Reserve 1 cup of the marinade for basting during grilling.
  • Marinating the chicken.
    6
    Add chicken to marinade and cover for at least an hour. For best results, marinate overnight or for 8 hours.
  • Chopped onion, jalapeno pepper, and tomatillos in a food processor.
    7
    MANGO SALSA DIRECTIONS: In a food processor add chopped onion, jalapeno pepper scraped of white membrane and seeds and tomatillos.
  • Chopped onions and peppers in a bowl.
    8
    Process until almost finely grated stage. Scrape out into a quart-size bowl or bigger.
  • Chopped tomatoes and chopped green pepper in the food processor.
    9
    Next, add the chopped tomatoes and chopped green pepper to the food processor. Process until chunky. Add these to the quart bowl.
  • Mango added to the bowl.
    10
    Next, add the mango to the food processor and process until very chunky. Add to the rest of the ingredients in bowl.
  • Adding cilantro, lime juice, and salt to the salsa.
    11
    Lastly, using a knife, finely chop the cilantro and add to the vegetable mixture in bowl. Then add the fresh lime juice and sea salt.
  • Mango salsa ready to be served.
    12
    Mix well. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  • Grilling the chicken.
    13
    Pre-heat your grill and remove chicken from marinade. Grill 8-10 minutes on each side or until the chicken is no longer pink.
  • Basting the chicken.
    14
    Baste chicken while grilling with reserved marinade. Grilling time will depend on the thickness of the chicken.
  • Mango salsa, black beans, chicken and rice on a plate.
    15
    Serve with Mango Salsa, black beans and rice, and grilled sweet potato halve.
  • 16
    *You may use this salsa alone as an appetizer with tortilla chips. This is our friends' favorite salsa and is highly requested!
  • 17
    *NOTE* *WARNING* Scotch Bonnet Peppers (habanero) and jalapeno peppers must be handled properly or they can cause burning and irritation to skin and eyes. If you cannot handle very, very hot and spicy food then skip the scotch bonnets and use the jalapeno. You must wear gloves when chopping the peppers, the peppers have oil's that will stay on your skin and most likely will get in your eyes, not to mention burn your skin! You may even need to wear a mask because of the fumes from the peppers.
  • 18
    NOTE *Depending on the size and thickness of your chicken breast you may need to split the boneless breast and then pound them down to around an inch in thickness.
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