Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad
This Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad is a delicious and easy way to enjoy the flavors of the Caribbean. It's made with tender and juicy jerk chicken, crisp lettuce, sweet pineapple, capsicum peppers, creamy avocado and a tangy lime dressing. It's perfect for a light lunch or dinner or side for a barbecue or picnic.
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If you're looking for a salad that's bursting with flavor and freshness, look no further than this jerk chicken salad. It's a feast for the eyes and the taste buds! The lime dressing adds a zesty touch that perfectly complements the salad and spicy chicken. Your family and friends will love this salad and ask for seconds!
If you love this Jamaican chicken salad, you should try my rasta shrimp pasta, crispy chicken salad and chicken mango salsa bowl.
Why This Recipe Works
- This salad is excellent for anyone who loves Caribbean cuisine.
- It is quick and easy to make.
- It has sweet and spicy flavors.
- This Jamaican jerk chicken salad is perfect for the summer!
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Chicken: Select fresh fillets for this recipe and bash them with a blunt object before cooking. This will ensure that the cooking is tender and cooks quickly.
- Jerk seasoning: Use your favorite jerk seasoning for this recipe. Be mindful of sodium levels to avoid adding too much salt. As an alternative, you can marinate the chicken with this Spicy Jerk Marinade.
Salad
- Lettuce: Use any greens of your choice for this recipe.
- Pineapple: Peel a ripe pineapple and chop it into even-sized chunks.
- Capsicum peppers: Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers and slice thinly for the salad. I used red, green and yellow bell peppers for this recipe.
- Red onions: Slice onions thinly.
- Avocado: Peel and remove the seed from an avocado. Then slice.
Dressing
- Lime: Squeeze juice from one lime.
- Honey: Use good-quality honey to add sweetness to the dressing.
- Olive oil: Select good-quality oil for the best flavor.
Tips and Substitutions
- Batches: Double or triple this salad if you are feeding a crowd.
- Marinate: For extra flavor, marinate the chicken in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking.
- Chicken: If you don't have an air fryer, cook the chicken on a hot griddle pan for a lightly charred effect. You may also enjoy these Crispy Buffalo Chicken Thighs or Sticky Oven Chicken Thighs BBQ.
- Dressing: Another great dressing option for this salad is honey mustard, or garlic and herb.
- Grill: If you are having a BBQ, cook the chicken fillets on the grill for a delicious smokey flavor. You can also bake or pan-fry the fillets instead. Preheat your oven to 180C/360F for oven baking and place the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake it for 20-25 minutes or until done. Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium heat for pan-frying and cook it for 10-15 minutes on both sides or until cooked through.
- Pineapple: You can also swap the pineapples with mangoes if you don't have any pineapples to hand.
How to Make Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad
- Cover the chicken fillets with plastic wrap and bash them with a blunt object, such as a rolling pin. Marinate the chicken with jerk seasoning, salt to taste, pepper to taste, and oil.
2. Air fry the chicken for about 15-20 minutes at 200°C/400F. Slice it diagonally once done.
3. As the chicken cooks, Add lime juice, olive oil, salt to taste, pepper to taste, honey, and grated garlic to a jar and shake. You can also whisk the ingredients in a bowl.
4. Add chopped pineapple, red onion, sliced bell peppers, avocado, and greens to a large salad bowl.
5. Pour the lime vinaigrette into the salad and toss.
6. Once the chicken is ready, slice it and place it on the salad.
7. Serve the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad Bowl on a large platter or individual plates with lime wedges for squeezing over. Enjoy your Jamaican jerk chicken salad with rum punch, Easy Guinness Punch or coconut water for a refreshing drink. If you're a fan of Jamaican-style recipes, you may also enjoy this Steamed Cabbage.
Recipe FAQs
It is quite spicy, as it includes scotch bonnets or habanero peppers. For even more flavor, it also includes all spices, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and garlic.
Store the chicken fillets and salad separately. Place the chicken fillets in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. Add the salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Do not refrigerate the salad with the pineapple chunks for it to last longer.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad
Equipment
- 1 Chefs knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Salad bowl
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken
- 2 chicken fillet
- 1 teaspoon of Jerk seasoning
- Salt to taste
- Paprika to taste
Salad
- ¾ cup pineapple chopped
- 2 cups of lettuce or greens
- 1 red 1 green and 1 yellow capsicum peppers
- ¼ red onions
- 1 avocado
Lime Vinaigrette
- 1 lime juice and zest
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- A pinch of salt
- Black pepper to taste
- â…“ cup of olive oil
Instructions
- Place the chicken fillets between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with a rolling pin or another blunt object until they are even in thickness.
- In a small bowl, combine the jerk seasoning, salt, pepper and oil. Rub the mixture all over the chicken. If you have time let it marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.
- Preheat the air fryer to 200°C/400F and cook the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and cooked through. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing diagonally.
- In a large salad bowl, toss together the pineapple, red onion, bell peppers, avocado and greens.
- In a small jar with a lid, shake together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, honey and garlic until well combined. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Arrange the sliced chicken on top of the salad. Enjoy your delicious and refreshing jerk chicken salad!
Notes
- To make the chicken more flavorful, let it marinate in the fridge for up to a day before cooking.
- If you don't have an air fryer, you can also grill the chicken on a hot griddle pan for a nice charred effect.
- You can also try honey mustard, or garlic and herb dressing for this salad if you like.
- You can easily scale up this recipe to feed more people by doubling or tripling the ingredients.
- Feel free to add extra seasoning like garlic powder for more flavor.
I just came back from a weeklong trip to Jamaica where I indulged a bit too much. This jerk chicken salad was the perfect meal to satisfy my Jamaica cravings while resetting my diet!
Oh my! This jerk recipe is so easy to do and so delicious! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
This salad is amazing! The chicken was juicy and perfectly spicy and the sweet pineapple, crisp lettuce, creamy avocado and simple vinaigrette played perfectly together. This will be on repeat all summer long.
Nothing is better than a good salad, and this one is certainly in that category. The flavorful chicken has me craving this for lunch daily.
This salad was so fresh tasting and the chicken very quick to make in the air fryer. I made two servings to enjoy for dinner and lunch yesterday and am already planning to make it again!