Whole 30 friendly Jerk Chicken with a simple mango & avocado salsa – sweet, spicy, and packed with flavor. Paleo & Gluten Free
Hey look! Another chicken dish that I actually like! How about that? But before I get on with sharing this jerk chicken recipe I just gotta say one thing….
Today marks two full years since I moved to England and next week will be my 2nd wedding anniversary. Which is really weird because I certainly don’t feel like I’m an actual capital A Adult yet. And yet here I am.
I have so many thoughts about that, but perhaps the most pressing thought is: how the hell has it been two years already?!
I’m not sure at what point you stop feeling like you’re out of the honeymoon phase of your marriage, but I certainly don’t feel like that’s the case with Mike and I. We literally spend all day everyday with each other and somehow we’re still not sick of each other. Crazy, huh?
Mike’s health was in such a poor state after we got married. It’s really only been in the past six months or so that he’s been consistently well. Ever since he got his Coeliac Disease diagnosis we’ve been able to address all of his health issues one at a time with much more clarity and understanding than before. It’s been such a long process, but I feel like we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
*Currently knocking on every wood surface available*
Now, these past two years have really flown by and to be honest that kind of bums me out. I just want the rest of my years to slow down a bit more because I just want to soak up as much time with my best friend as I can.
Ok. Sap over.
Now for some chicken!
Jerk Chicken & Mango Salsa
As far as recipe goes it’s pretty simple and straight forward. Just throw your ingredients in a blender to create your marinade and let the chicken soak up all the flavor for a few hours. The only sweetener used in this recipe is a single date which makes this Whole 30 friendly. If you’re looking for an entirely Whole 30 meal pair swap out the rice for a cauliflower rice and that’s it. Depending on how long you marinate you chicken (if I’m being honest here sometimes I don’t because I’m lazy and unorganized) then you can have dinner ready and served in under an hour. Aww yesss.
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Whole 30 Jerk Chicken & Mango Avocado Salsa
Whole 30 friendly Jerk Chicken with a simple mango & avocado salsa - sweet, spicy, and packed with flavor. Paleo & Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
marinade
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
- 1 scotch bonnet, or sub with another chili pepper for less spice. Scotch bonnets are SPICY so be warned*
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 date, seed removed
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper or to taste
mango salsa
- 2 large mangos, peeled pitted and diced
- 2 avocados, diced and pitted
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- juice from 2 limes, about 4 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno pepper
Instructions
- In a high powered blender or food processor, combine all of the marinade ingredients and process until fully combined and smooth.
- Coat all four chicken breasts with the jerk paste. Place in a large ziplock bag and place in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes, preferably 2 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook, take your chicken out of the fridge. Preheat a grill or skillet to high heat. When it’s up to temperature place the chicken on the hot grill or skillet. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes until it’s no longer pink in the middle.
- Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting in. While it’s resting you can make your mango salsa.
- Make your mango salsa by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Serve the chicken with rice or cauliflower rice and top with the mango salsa and enjoy!
Notes
cook time does not include marinating time
If you can't find scotch bonnets at your local supermarket, or you want a less spicy alternative you can use a jalapeno instead. Habaneros and thai chili peppers can also be substituted
Rheanna Raymond says
I have made this recipe at least 4 times. I have served it to guests, and everyone loves it! The flavor combination is perfect. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Rheanna! So glad to hear that 🙂
Megan says
Why is my marinade not liquidy? I followed the recipe exactly. Feel like it needs A LOT more coconut oil/lime
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Megan! That’s no problem – the marinade is supposed to be more of a paste that you rub into the chicken and not a liquid. That being said, if you prefer a more liquid-y marinade you can always add more olive oil. Hope that helps!
Jodi says
This is sooooo good!!! LOVE, love, love that salsa!!!
Sarah says
Thanks Jodi! So glad you like it!
Katie says
This marinade is LEGIT. Really good meal and pretty easy to make too.
Sarah says
Aww so glad you like it! Thanks Katie!
Jenn says
I never have dates in the house what could I replace it with or does it need to be replaced
Sarah says
If you don’t mind that it won’t be whole30 you could always use a tablespoon sugar/coconut sugar in its place!
Brooke Moret says
I could never cook a full chicken breast on a skillet in ten minutes, how do you keep it from burning the marinade, or is it supposed to be blackened? The picture doesn’t look blackened. Should make the breasts into cutlets?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Brooke! Do you ever flatten your chicken breasts before cooking? Because chicken breast can vary so much in size, it’s a really useful way to make your chicken cook faster and more evenly (since chicken breast is almost always thicker in the middle. It also helps to make the meat more tender. If you pound it down enough, it really should help speed up the cooking process. You can also just cut the chicken breast in half (width-wise) to make them thinner to achieve a similar result.
That being said, temperatures can vary from stove to stove and the type of pan you use will also make a difference. I find that teflon/non stick pans take a bit longer to cook and cast iron/aluminium/steel pans cook faster.
Just in case you don’t already do this – make sure your pan/oil is heated up before adding the chicken. This will create a nice sear on the outside of the meat (which makes for a better flavour) and help the chicken cook faster. On a similar note, it’s best to cook most meat from room temperature. Make sure to take your chicken out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before cooking. If you cook it straight out of the fridge it will take longer to cook since it needs to heat up more.
Hope that helps!
Annette C. says
My chicken is in fridge marinating right now. Tasted a sample of the marinade and it was close tasting to the original. (Husband is Jamaican) can’t wait to see how he likes it on top of cauliflower rice. Once he knows it’s a healthier choice of dinner I don’t think he will complain much. We will see. Fingers crossed. Lol
Sarah says
Ha! Fingers crossed for you! Thanks Annette!