Chicken Tacos are a symphony of flavors and textures in every bite! Don’t miss Thai Chicken Tacos, Chipotle Chicken Tacos, Chicken Birria Tacos, Buffalo Chicken Tacos or Chili Lime Chicken Tacos.
HOW TO MAKE Jerk Chicken Tacos VIDEo
The Pineapple Cabbage Slaw
Fresh, sweet, crunchy Pineapple Cabbage Slaw balances the smoky, spicy, earthy Jerk Chicken for the perfect bite! You will need:
AVOCADO JERK CREMA
The Avocado Jerk Crema is my favorite Avocado Crema recipe punctuated by Jerk Seasoning! It is lusciously creamy, tangy and marries all of the contrasting flavors and textures of the chicken tacos together. Best of all, it’s so easy to whip up in your blender! You will need:
HOW TO MAKE jerk Chicken Tacos
This Jerk Chicken Taco recipe has a few components, but they are all quick and easy to whip together! Let’s take a closer look at how to make them (full recipe with measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice, lime zest, soy sauce, olive oil and jerk seasoning together.Pour over the chicken in a shallow dish and turn to evenly coat. Allow the chicken to rest while you prep the Pineapple Slaw and Crema (up to 40 minutes at room temperature) or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours then bring to room temperature for before cooking.
Step 2: Prep the Taco Toppings
While the chicken marinates, prep the Pineapple Cabbage Slaw, and Avocado Crema. These toppings can all be made up to 24 hours in advance, so assemble them at whatever point during the marinade process is best for you!
For the Pineapple Slaw: Simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. For the Avocado Crema: Add all of the ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth, scraping sides down as needed.
Step 3: Cook the chicken
You can either grill, bake or pan-sear the Jerk Chicken – all methods result in ultra-juicy, flavorful chicken, but grilling naturally produces the more authentic smoky, barbecued flavor. I’ve outlined the methods below.
Step 4: Chop the Chicken
Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute. This will make for juicier chicken tacos! Use this time to warm your tortillas. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Step 5: Assemble the Jerk Chicken Tacos
Warm the corn tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat, on the grill (recommended!), or in the microwave. This makes them more pliable and means you can pile them higher with toppings! Assemble the tacos by layering them with chopped chicken, pineapple slaw, and a drizzle of avocado crema.
How to Warm Tortillas
I HIGHLY recommend warming your tortillas for the BEST Jerk Chicken Tacos. The warm tortillas become softer, more pliable, the ideal melt-in-your mouth temperature with accentuated flavor. You can easily warm your tortillas using any of the outlined methods below. Once your tortillas are warmed, keep them warm and pliable by stacking them on a plate and covering with a slightly dampened, warmed paper towel or in a tortilla warmer.
Open Flame (gas stove or grill): This method is how I achieve the smoky char you see on the tortillas and is best with FRESH/homemade tortillas. I simply add the tortillas directly to the burner of my gas stove then flip with tongs once they are charred on one side. You can also accomplish this on the grill. If you are using lower quality corn tortillas, you will want to take special care not to over-char or they will become brittle and break. You still want the tortillas soft and pliable. Skillet: Heat a skillet (or griddle if you have one) to medium high heat (do not grease). Working with one tortilla at a time (more for a griddle), heat each side of the tortilla for approximately 20 seconds until warm and soft. You are not looking for char marks with this method.Microwave: Working with about 5-7 tortillas at a time, stack tortillas on a microwave safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 20 seconds on high, then repeat at 10 second intervals if needed until warmed through.Oven: Create separate stacks of about 5 tortillas each, then wrap each stack in foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through (you can bake all stacks at once).
Adjust the spices: Play with the seasoning ratios of the jerk spice blend to mix up the flavor profile.Swap the citrus: Add some pineapple juice or orange juice in place of the lime juice.Use chicken marinated in jerk sauce: This from scratch recipe skips the spice blend and instead makes the marinade from scratch. Use a fruit salsa instead of slaw: Pineapple Salsa, Mango Salsa, Pineapple Mango Salsa, Strawberry Salsa, Corn Salsa, Avocado Corn Salsa, etc. would all be tasty! Use guacamole: Swap the Avocado Jerk Crema for homemade guacamole or store-bought. Use avocados: Swap the avocado crema for simple sliced avocados.Use flour tortillas: I prefer making these tacos with corn tortillas, but flour tortillas will also work and mix up the flavor profile.
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