These easy chicken skewers, courtesy of Ayesha Curry, are rubbed in a warm blend of jerk spices (including garlic, allspice, and clove, with a little brown sugar and fresh thyme in the mix), then grilled to juicy perfection. A cool, vibrant salsa with silky fresh mango and crunchy red onion provides a great sweet-tangy contrast to the meat. Although these turn out beautifully on a grill pan, feel free to fire up your gas or charcoal grill if you have one handy.

Looking for more grilled chicken options? Get our Adobo-Marinated BBQ Chicken recipe, or our Maple-Mustard BBQ Chicken recipe.

  • Yield: 4 to 6 skewers/servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 13 min
  • Active: 43 min

Ingredients (20)

For the mango salsa:

  • 2 cups mango, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

For the chicken skewers:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 shallot, peeled and finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 pound chicken breast, cubed

Special equipment:

  • 4-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water at least 30 minutes

Instructions

Marinate the chicken:

  1. Mix together the garlic, olive oil, shallot, thyme, brown sugar, paprika, ground clove, ground allspice, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a bowl. Coat cubed chicken well with the rub. Let sit to marinate at least thirty minutes.

Make the mango salsa:

  1. Combine mango, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Let sit and allow flavors to meld while you prepare the chicken.

Prepare the skewers:

  1. Skewer 4-6 pieces of chicken per stick.
  2. Cook on a grill pan over medium high heat, turning frequently to avoid burning, about 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear.
  3. Plate the chicken on or off the skewer, and spoon the mango salsa over top.