Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos Recipe with Mango Salsa

If you enjoy spicy chicken and Caribbean flavors you will love this simple take on Jamaican jerk chicken tacos with juicy fresh pineapple mango salsa. Using a few easy shortcuts, I will show you how to make the best jerk chicken tacos with a quick and easy sauce full of sweet heat and a traditional earthy spice blend. Full recipe card below.

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What are Caribbean Jerk Tacos?

Imagine you are at the beach on tropical island at a local restaurant. The first thing I expect to see on the menu is Caribbean jerk chicken tacos with fresh pineapple mango salsa. This type of taco is often full of warm aromatic spices and sweet heat from brown sugar and sometimes orange juice. These bold favors compliment a variety of protein like chicken, shrimp, and even fish. Pair them with a warm tortilla and fresh fruit salsa, and you are instantly transported to the islands. This is what I think of when I hear Jamaican jerk tacos.

In this recipe I will show you how to achieve the sweet and spicy bold flavors of authentic jerk chicken without taking a tropical vacation or spending hours in the kitchen.

Ingredients

This easy recipe for air fryer Jamaican jerk tacos requires only a few simple steps to make and is full of unique flavors and spicy Caribbean flair. Let me walk you through what I use and why and what ingredients will give you the best results.

Boneless Chicken Bites – For this recipe I like to take a bit of a shortcut to make this an easy weeknight meal and use frozen pre-made breaded chicken chunks. I buy mine at Costco in the freezer section. You can use any kind of chicken pieces you want like chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or rotisserie chicken. I have even made these with shredded chicken from a skinless chicken breast.

Caribbean Jerk Sauce – For this recipe I used my homemade jerk sauce. It is easy and can be made in 10 minutes. Unlike many homemade recipes, it doesn’t require any hard to come by ingredients like scotch bonnet peppers or allspice berries. Just simple pantry items and warm spices. Note, this is a sweet and spicy sauce so if you do not like spicy food, it may not be for you.

Mango Pineapple Salsa – The salsa ingredients are all fresh and give off plenty of juice to add a sweet delicious flavor to the tacos. I make my own fresh mango salsa with pineapple, fresh cilantro, jalapenos, and red onions with minimal effort. All you need to do is dice up the ingredients and mix. It makes a large batch of salsa and can be made ahead of time and used all week to top tacos, chicken, seafood, taco bowls, served as a healthy side or used with tortilla chips as a dip.

Soft Taco Shells – I usually use small flour tortillas, but not the street taco size. I feel those are a little too small. I normally use a flour tortilla vs a corn tortilla because they tend to fall apart very easily. But you can definitely use corn instead if you prefer or are gluten free. I also brown my tortillas over an open flame on medium low heat on my gas stove top. This part is definitely optional, but adds a little crunch and extra flavor vs room temperature tortillas.

Shredded Cabbage – While this is an optional ingredient it adds a little bit of crunch to the bottom of the tacos. You can use regular or purple cabbage, shred your own, use pre-shredded, or skip it all together.

Additional Toppings – I personally think these tacos are best with just these simple fresh ingredients and do not need any additional dry jerk seasoning, green onion, sour cream, or cheese but you can add if you want. You can serve with a squeeze of lime juice but I think the salsa is juicy enough.

Cooking Method

Jerk chicken is in my weekly rotation and often ends up in taco form. I make my breaded chicken in my Ninja Foodi air fryer because it is quick and easy, but you can also bake them.  ​

Coating the Chicken

Once the chicken is cooked, I toss the breaded chicken chunks in my homemade jerk seasoning sauce before adding it to the tacos.

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Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos Recipe with Mango Salsa

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• Author: Lisa
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 tacos 1x

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Description

If your taste buds enjoy spicy chicken and Caribbean flavors you will love this simple take on Jamaican jerk chicken tacos with juicy fresh pineapple mango salsa. Using a few easy shortcuts, I will show you how to make the best jerk chicken tacos with a quick and easy sauce full of sweet heat and a traditional earthy spice blend.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Sauce

• 2/3 cup Ketchup
• 1 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 5 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Lime Wedges or 1/2 tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 tbsp Thyme Leaves
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/8 tsp All Spice
• 1/8 tsp Salt

For the Salsa

• 1 Whole Pineapple cubed
• 3 Yellow Mangoes cubed
• 1/2 Red Onion diced
• 2–3 Jalapenos diced with seeds removed
• 1 1/2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
• 1/8 tsp Salt

For the Tacos

• 16–24 pieces of Frozen Breaded Chicken Chunks
• 4–6 Small Flour or Corn Tortillas
• Small Bag of Shredded Cabbage (optional)

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Instructions

For the Sauce

1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until fully combined. Set aside.

For the Salsa

1. Cut pineapple into 1-2 inch cubes and add to a medium bowl. See details here on cutting a whole pineapple.
2. Cut mangoes into cubes and add to the bowl with the pineapple.
3. Dice the red onion, jalapenos, and cilantro and add to bowl. To speed up chopping I use this slicer.
4. Add the salt to the bowl and stir all the ingredients until combined. Set aside.

For the Chicken

1. Set the temperature of your air fryer to 375 degrees F. Pre-heating is not required, but I think it helps for the fryer to heat up for a couple of minutes prior to adding the chicken.
2. Spray the inside of the air fryer with cooking spray or olive oil. You can also use a small pan that fits in the air fryer.
3. Add the frozen chicken to the air fryer basket and cook for 12-18 minutes or until crispy. For best results flip halfway through.
4. When the chicken is done, remove immediately and do not allow to cool in the fryer. I find that this makes things less crispy. As soon as the time ends, open the fryer and turn it off. Cool for a few minutes with the drawer or lid off.
5. Transfer to a small bowl and toss in the sauce until fully coated. You may have leftover sauce depending on how saucy you like your chicken.

For the Tacos

1. Lightly toast your small tortillas. If you have a gas range, you can do this directly over the grates with the burner set to low heat. Char for no more than 20 seconds on each side and DO NOT leave unsupervised as they can catch fire. If you do not have a gas range you can toast in a pan on the stovetop. Be careful not to over cook these. You want them to still be soft enough to fold in half.
2. Add a small amount of shredded cabbage to the bottom of each tortilla.
3. Add 4-6 chunks of chicken per taco and top with pineapple mango salsa.

Equipment

air fryer

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Notes

• If you do not like spicy food, this recipe may not be for you. The sauce is very spicy.
• Air fryer ovens may differ in size and temperature so your cook time and quantity may vary.
• You may have leftover sauce and salsa.
• You can prep the salsa and the sauce while the chicken cooks.

• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 15
• Category: Entree
• Method: Air Fryer
• Cuisine: Jamaican, Caribbean

Storage

Leftover chicken tacos can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For best results, store the tacos without the salsa on top otherwise the juices will make it soggy.

When to Make Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos

This is the perfect weeknight or weekend dinner when you are craving something full of bold flavors. At the risk of sounding cliche, I like to make these for taco Tuesday but any night of the week works just fine. They are also a great option for lunch, Cinco de Mayo, or for taco Tuesday. The good news is no matter when you decide to make these tasty Caribbean jerk tacos, they will definitely become a fan favorite.

Looking for more taco recipes? Try my frozen Costco tilapia fish tacos or my air fryer salmon fish tacos. Looking for more chicken recipes? Try my buffalo chicken dip appetizer cups, slow cooker white chicken chili, or my copycat Panera green goddess chicken salad.

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