Jerk Chicken Skewers with Mango Habanero Sauce
on Jul 27, 2016, Updated Jan 20, 2025
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These Jerk Chicken Skewers with Mango Habanero Sauce are truly a flavor explosion for your mouth! Full of Caribbean flavor and just the right amount of heat and sweet. Serve with black beans and brown rice for a healthy and filling dinner!
If you’ve been following along on the blog for a while, you know that I generally try to share recipes that don’t use tons of ingredients. I know that no one likes to go shopping for 50 ingredients and if I see a recipe is using a slew of them I usually skip over it. That’s not to say that the recipe wouldn’t be delicious, it might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but I’m sort of lazy about certain things. I like to get in and out of the grocery store as fast as possible and get my meals prepared and on the table with as little stress as possible. That being said, every once in a while I just have to share a recipe that uses more than the average amount of ingredients because it tastes that good! That’s exactly what happened when I made these Jerk Chicken Skewers with Mango Habanero Sauce.
If you’ve ever made your own jerk seasoning or marinade you know there are lots of ingredients involved. That’s probably why most people buy a pre-made seasoning or marinade when they want that flavor. Trust me though, it’s worth it to try making your own jerk marinade! The flavor is so much better and it’s not loaded with sugar and preservatives.
The two ingredients that you will find in almost any jerk marinade are allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers. Since I couldn’t find any Scotch bonnets I subbed in the habanero which is very similar. You might be thinking this is going to be way too spicy, but I assure you that it wasn’t. Combined with all the warm spices like cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg, the fresh orange and lime juice and honey for sweetness, it was the perfect amount of heat. You can of course adjust the heat by adding as much or little of the habanero as you prefer.
The mango habanero sauce that I used to dip the jerk chicken skewers in was spoon licking good! It was sweet from the mangos, savory from the onion and garlic, and had the perfect amount of heat from the habanero. The heat is the kind that hits you in the back of the mouth after a minute, rather than a full blown “holy cow this is spicy!”. The sauce ingredients are cooked on the stove for a few minutes to get rid of the raw onion and garlic flavors, then blended until smooth in a blender or food processor. While there are many ingredients in this recipe, the dish itself comes together quickly and the result is worth the extra effort and time. If you’re a fan of Caribbean flavors then you have to give these Jerk Chicken Skewers with Mango Habanero Sauce a try!
Jerk Chicken Skewers with Mango Habanero Sauce
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- Juice of an orange
- Juice of a lime
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, tamari for gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 habanero pepper, seeds removed
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Mango Habanero Sauce
- 2 cups peeled and diced mango
- 1/2 cup diced yellow or red onion
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon seeded and minced habanero pepper, use more or less depending on hot spicy you want the sauce.
- 1 teaspoons honey
- Juice of a lime
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
Mango Habanero Sauce
- In a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat, heat a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot add the diced onion, garlic and ginger and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onion starts to soften.
- Add in the diced mango and minced habanero and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor along with the honey, lime juice and salt to taste and blend until smooth.
- Let the sauce cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The sauce may be served cold or warmed in the microwave.
Jerk Chicken
- Blend all of the marinade ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth or nearly smooth. Add the piece of chicken to a gallon sized freezer bag along with the marinade and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken then store it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- After the chicken has marinated, preheat your grill to medium-high heat. While the grill is heating skewer the pieces of chicken.
- Spray or brush the grill grates with oil then place the chicken skewers on. Grill the chicken for approximately 3-4 minutes depending on the size then use tongs to flip them over and grill for another 3-4 minutes or until they are cooked through.
- Serve the jerk chicken with the mango habanero sauce for dipping or drizzled over the chicken. Brown rice and black beans go great with the chicken and sauce as well.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Chicken Skewers
Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Sesame Zucchini Noodles
Hawaiian Chicken Skewers with Cilantro Coconut Rice
Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce
This dish was very good. Actually, I love Chicken Skewers. Easy to put together. Lots of flavors. I made the recipe exactly as written. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for trying the recipe Louise, glad you enjoyed the skewers. :-)
These look delicious! I love grilling in the summer…well, pretty much year round here in LA! Skewers are a great way to serve a crowd too!
These skewers look absolutely fantastic, and that sauce! YUM!