The flavors in this dish just scream warm and sunny tropical island.
So much so that it makes me wish I was on a tropical island right about now.
It’s a fast, easy recipe the whole family will love and it’s ready in less than 15 minutes. This isn’t traditional jerk chicken but who said we always have to be traditional.
I love the warming flavors in jerk seasoning and it varies from brand to brand but allspice, peppers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, brown sugar, garlic, and salt are common.
Combined with a sauce made with pineapple juice, honey, and brown sugar for sweetness, and lemon juice and apple cider vinegar for tanginess, the chicken is bursting with sweet-and-tangy flavor and wonderfully moist.
I am all about sauces and dips, always need extra, and this one is ridiculously good. You’ll have more than you like need for the chicken and it’s wonderful drizzled over rice, pasta, or vegetables.
I caramelized pineapple and mango to top the chicken. I used coconut oil which enhances the tropical flair, but you can substitute with another oil.
I used canned pineapple since I needed the juice anyway for the sauce for the chicken and I used frozen mango but if you have fresh, even better. Pineapple holds up to heat and the caramelization process better than mango because it’s firmer, but I adore any caramelized fruit.
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Sweet and Tangy Jerk Chicken with Caramelized Pineapple and Mango
Ingredients
Chicken
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup pineapple juice, from one 16-ounce can pineapple chunks, reserve the pineapple for caramelizing
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for sauce + 1 tablespoon for cooking chicken
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning for sauce + more for sprinkling over chicken
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds
Caramelized Pineapple and Mango
- ½ to 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or another preferred oil
- about 1 cup pineapple chunks, reserved from can
- about 1 cup mango chunks, I used frozen that I allowed to thaw
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
- Chicken – To a medium bowl or large measuring cup, add the honey, pineapple juice, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning, salt, pepper, and stir to combine; set aside.
- To a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, generously sprinkle each chicken breast on both sides with jerk seasoning. Add chicken to skillet and cook chicken over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side so that it has a nice sear. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts. Chicken should be about 80 to 90% cooked through.
- Remove skillet from heat, turn heat to medium-low, and carefully add the sauce noting that it will bubble up vigorously in the first few seconds.
- Place skillet back on the heat and allow chicken to cook for about 10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and reduced some, has darkened in color, and chicken is cooked through. Flip chicken a few times throughout. While chicken cooks, caramelize the fruit.
- Caramelized Pineapple and Mango – To a separate large skillet, add the coconut oil, pineapple, mango, optionally sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown and caramelized, about 8 minutes, flipping every few minutes to ensure all sides are evenly cooked.
- Top chicken with caramelized fruit and serve immediately. Chicken and fruit are best warm and fresh, but leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. I store fruit and chicken separately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m with all the people above – keep on with the savory and the chicken recipes!!
I can’t get enough jerk seasoned anything in the spring and summer. I love to make kabobs with chicken and pineapple and tomatoes. Actually, I’m usually too lazy to even skewer them, and just use my grill pan. No shame.
Thanks for the support and praise and this sauce…you would LOVE it. Love love love. Your kabobs sound perfect! Tomatoes and pineapple are two of my all-time faves! Funny, I just bought a grill pan recently for summer ‘grilling season’ since it’s as close to a real grill as I’ll get.
Averie, that chicken looks so succulent!! And I can just imagine the big, bold flavors. YUM!
Succulent is the perfect word…it really was! And the flavors were big and bold indeed!
The caramelized pineapple alone is incentive enough for me to make this, but throw in a juicy, flavorful chicken and I’m all about this! Love it, Averie!
The caramelized pineapple alone is incentive enough for me to make this <--- awesome! Save some for me because it's so good!! :)
I second the above comments…keep the savory and chicken recipes coming! I feel like I have made every kind of chicken breast known to man but this is new and different. How could you look at those photos and NOT try this! :)
Awww, you’re so sweet with compliments on my photos and glad you like the savory recipes AND that this is something new and different for your repertoire!
Oh man, these chicken breasts look AMAZING. I’m going to try your glaze and put it on the BBQ! Grilled Chicken with Grilled Pineapple. Swoon… Thanks for the inspo, love your blog!
Glad the glaze has you inspired and it is seriously one of my fave sauce/glazes I’ve made in ages. I wanted to drink it :)
If I make this, will the weather turn warm and sunny? ;) Looks and sounds yummy.
Absolutely!! :)
I LOVE when you post savory recipes….I must make this for my kids!!
Thanks my sweet friend! After 6 years of mostly sugar and desserts, savory is in order!
Love all the favors here, the tropical fruits are such a nice touch, I am all about sweet and savory recipes, especially when it comes top chicken, since it can be so bland sometimes.
I must try this! I love that sweet and spicy hint-of-island that jerk and pineapple give in a recipe. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and the sauce with the sweet and spicy hint-of-island as you so perfectly put it, is just one of my fave sauces in ages!
Your chicken recipes are outstanding!! Gotta make this over the weekend. One of my (teenage)nephews gave me some spice mixes he made himself (such a thoughtful gift)! Anyway, one of them is jerk seasoning and this is the perfect recipe to use it in!
No way…you have a teenage nephew who is making his own spice blends?! Omg. Wow. That is amazing. I can’t even get my daughter to make her bed :)
And what a stroke of serendipity that you can use the jerk seasoning here! And thanks for the compliments on my chicken recipes. Just way for May. I have lots of things coming up I think you will like :)
Loving the caramelized mango and pineapple. Serve me just that and I’d me perfectly happy!! Seasoning on the chicken looks great too :)
You could serve me just that too and I’d be super happy!
I love pineapple and pretty much eat it every day once Spring arrives…lately I’ve been so into mango and the combination of them both together is insanely good….can wait to try this recipe…
I am a pineapple fiend! Love it SO much! I have to restrain myself sometimes :) If you try this, LMK!
Your opening sentence covers it all! Definitely tropical island. I love, love, LOVE the grilled pineapple and mangos on top. :)
You can’t go wrong with caramelized pineapple! This looks fantastic. I love a quick dinner that looks this good.
Averie – I want all of this chicken. It’s such a flavorful dish and it looks like it would satisfy all of my chicken and fruit cravings. Traditional is boring, but this is adventurous and daring! I love it. :D
Another great chicken recipe! And we’re big fans of caramelized pineapple around here (honestly, it’s SOOO good), so this will go over very well. I love how you’re using all the frozen mango this week, too! Then you can make this dish in the depths of winter and still feel breezy!
I didn’t even realize I had another recipe in the last few days with frozen mango (the mango pineapple margaritas, duh!) and I totally think you should wash this dinner down with those :)