Jerk chicken tacos are a wonderful and flavorful meal easily prepared outdoors. Chicken thighs are marinated in a jerk-style marinade, grilled, then wrapped in tortillas with fresh mango salsa.
The jerk marinade is a combination of sweet and tart. Brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and orange juice are just a few of the key ingredients. Although it is inspired by jerk flavors of the Caribbean, it has its own unique twist.
The mango salsa is super simple and super fresh. Find the best mangoes you can. They are grilled before being diced and combined with red onions, cilantro, and finished with lime juice.
Place the marinated chicken on a grill but not over direct heat to allow them to cook but not burn.
Once combined the grilled tortilla, grilled jerk chicken, and mango salsa combine to create a tasty meal.
Keep turning and checking the chicken to make sure the center cooks without the outside burning.
Make sure the chicken thighs are fully covered in the marinade to get maximum flavor transfer.
Serve with additional lime so people can add if desired, it looks nice as well.
Grilled Jerk Chicken Tacos Recipe
This recipe is provided by Dipper’s Backyard BBQ Wars.
Jerk chicken tacos are a wonderful and flavorful meal easily prepared outdoors. Chicken thighs are marinated in a jerk-style marinade, grilled, then wrapped in tortillas.
Preparation 2 hours
Cook 12 minutes
Ready in 2 hours 12 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken
- 2 red chilis
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 cups orange juice
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small bunch cilantro chopped
- 3 green onions chopped
Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs
Mango Salsa
- 2 mangos
- 1/2 red onion finely diced
- 1 small bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 lime
Tacos
- 4 tortillas
Equipment
- grill
Directions
Jerk Marinade
- As an option for a deeper flavor, grill the chilies over hot coals. Let the skin lightly char before removing from the grill, removing the skin and dicing.
- Make the jerk marinade by combining the cinnamon, allspice, thyme, brown sugar, oil, lemon juice, orange juice, chilies, garlic, cilantro, and green onions.
- When combined place in a blender and lightly pulse so combined but still chunky. This step may be prepared at home, or alternatively, all ingredients can be very finely diced then simply combined to create the marinade.
Chicken
- Trim the chicken thighs of any excess fat, skin, or gristle. Bone them if not already done. Cut into evenly sized pieces ready to cook.
- Place the chicken in the marinade in a plastic bag and chill for at least 1 hour and a maximum of 2 hours.
- Prepare a charcoal grill for direct grilling at approximately 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
- Grill the chicken thighs until cooked through and slightly caramelized, this will take about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the grill and rest.
Mango Salsa
- Halve the mango then place them on the grill to get a char and soften.
- Make the salsa by combining the mangoes, red onions, and cilantro.
- Drizzle with half a freshly squeezed lime.
Tacos
- Toast the tortillas. This recipe can make 4 normal size tacos or 12 smaller street-size tacos.
- Top each tortilla with the mango salsa, slices of the grilled chicken, then garnish with leftover cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately while hot.
Nutritional Information
Sodium: 321mgCalcium: 136mgVitamin C: 145mgVitamin A: 2066IUSugar: 40gFiber: 5gPotassium: 901mgCholesterol: 111mgCalories: 662kcalTrans Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gFat: 36gProtein: 24gCarbohydrates: 64gIron: 4mg
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