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