Get adventurous with an easy weeknight meal of tantalizing jerk Chicken Tacos! These super fresh, citrus forward, juicy, tangy and spicy chicken tacos with sweet grilled pineapple, paper thin onion slices, and herbs are most assuredly NOT your average taco and they are so, so good.
Not only are they temptingly delicious, but they’re pretty darned accommodating, too. You can marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours before cooking it.
If that isn’t enough, you can cook it up to 2 days ahead of when you want to serve it, then reheat it and slice right before taco time! And even better, the chicken can be cooked in a myriad of ways.
Whether you want to grill, oven-bake, stove-top cook, or air-fry, I’ve got your instructions right here. No matter which way you cook it, you’re going to be blown away by how much flavour you pack into a jerk chicken taco with so little effort.
Are these spicy? Well, that depends!
If you choose a bottled marinade or make a marinade that’s milder, you’ll end up with milder jerk chicken tacos. If you pick one that’s flamin’ hot, your jerk chicken tacos will also be incendiary.
Jerk Chicken Taco
You have to try this jerk chicken taco recipe to believe how wonderful it is, so let’s get straight to our ingredient and equipment list.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Jerk Marinade
- Pineapple Rings in Juice
- Brown Sugar
- Small Flour or Corn Tortillas
- Whole Lettuce Leaves
- Red Onion
- Bell Pepper
- Cilantro Leaves
- Fresh Lime wedges
- Sauce or Mango Salsa
I absolutely, positively, 100% plump for boneless skinless chicken THIGHS in our Jamaican jerk chicken tacos because they’re so forgiving to cook. If you’re categorically opposed to chicken thighs you can substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
Jerk Marinade is one of those ingredients that while easy to make requires sourcing a variety of ingredients from scotch bonnet peppers to allspice berries to herbs, scallions, and so forth and making a paste. I have a great jerk marinade recipe here on this jerk chicken bites recipe.
If that’s a little too time consuming or daunting for you, you can use one of my favourite short-cuts and grab a bottle of jerk chicken marinade at the store or on Amazon.com. Feel free to choose mild, medium, or flamin’ hot jerk marinade as the spirit moves you.
The pineapple rings bring a bright, sweet, tangy something special to our jerk chicken taco when sprinkled with a little brown sugar and grilled or pan fried quickly to caramelize the sugar.
That touch of caramelized pineapple plays so nicely with the spicy, herbal, citrusy jerk chicken. And let’s talk tortillas, shall we?
I use small soft, pliable, flour tortillas for our jerk chicken tacos but corn tortillas are also good if you like them or need to eat gluten-free. I prefer to char each tortilla briefly over an open flame using tongs.
How to Warm Tortillas
Charring the tortillas both heats them and adds a little extra flavour to the party. If you don’t have an open flame handy, you can dry heat them quickly in a cast-iron skillet or wrap a stack of tortillas in a damp towel and microwave them.
You can go with a jerk crema for sauce (basically mayonnaise or sour cream thinned with a little fresh lime juice with a sprinkle of dry Jamaican jerk seasoning in it), chick-fil-a sauce, or even a creamy salad dressing if you like it. Or you can forego that and add a dollop of fresh mango salsa!
And here’s where the magic happens. Fresh lettuce leaves stacked on the tortillas are piled high with the juicy jerk chicken, grilled pineapple slices, diced bell peppers, thinly sliced onions, a drizzle of sauce or spoonful of mango salsa.
Air Fryer Jerk Chicken or Grilled Jerk Chicken
That’s all it takes to make your Taco Tuesday (or any meal-time) extraordinary! So what equipment do you need to make these delectable chicken tacos?
- Air Fryer or Grill or Oven
- Skillet or Baking Dish
- Tongs
- Zipper Top Bag (or Bowl or Airtight Container)
- Chef Knife
- Cutting Board
- Foil or Paper Towels or Tea Towel
You can make these tacos, as mentioned before, in an air fryer, grill, oven, or on the stove-top. It is one of the most accommodating recipes ever!
To cook the pineapple, I recommend using a grill pan, skillet, or a grill. And tongs are indispensable for not just the chicken, but also the pineapple slices and the tortillas.
It’s an easy recipe and I’m not going to complicate it by over-explaining. Any which way you make these will be divine.
Jerk Chicken Tacos
Toss the chicken pieces and jerk sauce together in a zipper top bag, container with a tight fitting lid, or bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but up to 24 hours.
To Make Air Fryer Jerk Chicken:
Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Arrange chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time, until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make Stove Top Jerk Chicken:
Place a non-stick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and brush generously with vegetable oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the pan. Cook for 12-14 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time, until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make Grilled Jerk Chicken:
Preheat your grill to medium heat (about 350ºF to 400ºF). Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the cleaned and oiled grill grates. Grill about 4 to 6 minutes per side, flipping once halfway through the cooking time, or until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make Oven Jerk Chicken:
Preheat your oven to 425ºF and brush a baking pan generously with vegetable oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the pan. Cook for about 20 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time, until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make the Jerk Chicken Tacos:
Drain the pineapple slices and pat them dry with a towel or paper towels. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar over the tops of the pineapple slices.
Place a non-stick skillet or grill pan over medium high heat and brush generously with neutral oil. Arrange the pineapple slices sugar side down on the pan and cook without moving them until they become fragrant and start browning a bit on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the tops of the pineapple slices, flip them over gently, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the underside is browning, sticky, and fragrant.
Char or warm tortillas over an open flame, wrapping them in foil to keep pliable until all are charred or stack and wrap them in a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds.
Slice the jerk chicken and hold in a bowl with any cooking juices. Assemble the tacos as follows:
Lay a leaf of lettuce on a charred tortilla, top with a generous amount of jerk chicken followed by thinly sliced onion, diced bell peppers, a sprinkle of cilantro or parsley, a squeeze of lime juice, and a drizzle of mayonnaise thinned with lime juice or chick-fil-a sauce or even ranch dressing if you love it.
If you have some, a little fresh mango salsa on top is delightful, too!
Jerk Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- Air Fryer or Grill or Oven
- Skillet or Baking Dish
- tongs
- Zipper Top Bag (or Bowl or Airtight Container)
- Chef Knife
- cutting board
- Foil or Paper Towels or Tea Towel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 jar jerk marinade (or homemade jerk chicken marinade from this recipe) 6 to 10 ounces
- 1 can pineapple rings in juice drained
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 16 small flour or corn tortillas
- 16 Leaves lettuce
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Fresh lime wedges
Optional but delicious:
Instructions
- Toss the chicken pieces and jerk sauce together in a zipper top bag, container with a tight fitting lid, or bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but up to 24 hours.
To Make Air Fryer Jerk Chicken:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Arrange chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time, until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make Stove Top Jerk Chicken:
- Place a non-stick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and brush generously with vegetable oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the pan. Cook for 12-14 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time, until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make Grilled Jerk Chicken:
- Preheat your grill to medium heat (about 350ºF to 400ºF). Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the cleaned and oiled grill grates. Grill about 4 to 6 minutes per side, flipping once halfway through the cooking time, or until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make Oven Jerk Chicken:
- Preheat your oven to 425ºF and brush a baking pan generously with vegetable oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the pan. Cook for about 20 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time, until the chicken thigh measures 165ºF in the thickest part.
To Make the Jerk Chicken Tacos:
- Drain the pineapple slices and pat them dry with a towel or paper towels. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar over the tops of the pineapple slices.
- Place a non-stick skillet or grill pan over medium high heat and brush generously with neutral oil. Arrange the pineapple slices sugar side down on the pan and cook without moving them until they become fragrant and start browning a bit on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the tops of the pineapple slices, flip them over gently, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the underside is browning, sticky, and fragrant.
- Char or warm tortillas over an open flame, wrapping them in foil to keep pliable until all are charred or stack and wrap them in a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds.
- Slice the jerk chicken and hold in a bowl with any cooking juices. Assemble the tacos as follows:
- Lay a leaf of lettuce on a charred tortilla, top with a generous amount of jerk chicken followed by thinly sliced onion, diced bell peppers, a sprinkle of cilantro or parsley, a squeeze of lime juice, and a drizzle of mayonnaise thinned with lime juice or chick-fil-a sauce or even ranch dressing if you love it.
- If you have some, a little fresh mango salsa on top is delightful, too!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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