This Caribbean Shredded Jerk Chicken Salad with mango, oranges, avocado and citrus vinaigrette makes a complete dinner! Spicy chicken, sweet fruit, crunchy veggies and creamy avocado, all in one healthy tropical salad. Paleo.
❤️ Why this recipe works
This salad has a beautiful contrast of flavours. Spicy chicken, sweet fruit, crunchy veggies and creamy avocado, all in one healthy dinner salad.
If you've read Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, you'll know that it outlines how important it is to include and balance those four elements in every dish you make.
In this Shredded Jerk Chicken Salad, the jerk seasoning provides the salt and the heat, the avocado gives us healthy fat, and the oranges, lime and citrus vinaigrette give this salad the necessary acid.
While it's great to analyze this recipe, I simply love the contrast of flavour, texture and colour in this Caribbean-style salad.
Love Jamaican jerk chicken? Try these spicy hot air fryer jerk chicken wings!
🛒 Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are a few details about the ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfectly every time.
- chicken breast: marinated with jerk seasoning
- fresh greens: your choice
- an orange
- mango
- avocado
- cucumber
- red bell pepper: optional
- red onion
- homemade citrus vinaigrette: olive oil. lime juice, orange juice, garlic
🔪 Instructions
Prep once, eat twice!
This recipe is designed to use leftover chicken from these Caribbean Jerk Chicken Breasts. Cook the chicken in an Instant Pot or bake it in the oven, then save some to shred and use to make this lunch or dinner salad.
Arrange a bowl with a bed of fresh greens, mango or other tropical fruit and avocado and shredded jerk chicken. Drizzle with a simple citrus vinaigrette and serve right away. This low-carb, gluten-free jerk chicken salad with mango totally satisfies.
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
Once the chicken is cooked, you can shred it in one of two ways: with two forks, or (surprisingly simple and very effective) with an electric mixer!
🔁 Customize this jerk chicken salad
No mangos available? Substitute your favourite tropical fruit, like pineapple, papaya, kiwi, or star fruit.
Don't like your chicken too spicy? You can easily adjust the heat in this recipe by reducing the amount of jerk seasoning you use.
Use whatever crispy greens you have on hand.
You might also like this vegetarian Caribbean Cauliflower Couscous Salad with mango!
⏰ Storage Instructions
Refrigerate leftover salad promptly and consume it within 3 days.
Up your dinner salad game with this Caribbean Shredded Jerk Chicken Salad! Next time you make these Caribbean Jerk Chicken Breasts, make extra just so you can make this Jamaican-inspired Shredded Jerk Chicken Salad.
Love easy dinner salads?
🗒More healthy salad recipes
This recipe was originally published in 2018. It has been updated with extra information to make it more helpful.
When you make this tropical salad recipe with shredded jerk chicken, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Thanks in advance!
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📖 Recipe
Caribbean Shredded Jerk Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large Caribbean Jerk Chicken Breast boneless, skinless (or 2 small)
- 3 cups lettuce greens, chopped
- 1 large orange, peeled and sectioned
- ½ mango, sliced thinly
- ½ avocado, sliced thinly
- ½ cucumber, sliced
- ½ red bell pepper, sliced in rings
- 2 tablespoon red onion, finely chopped
Citrus Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tablespoon orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk Citrus Vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside to allow flavours to blend.
- Shred Caribbean Jerk Chicken Breast with two forks or with an electric mixer. Arrange salad ingredients in bowls or on a large serving platter. Top with shredded chicken. Toss or serve with dressing on the side.
Evan
Made this yesterday--thanks for the tip to shred chicken with my mixer. Great with fresh fruit.
Elaine
Thanks so much for the 5 stars, Evan.
Gabby G
Dinner salads are definitely a thing in my house too, and this sounds amazing! Look at all those colours and flavours, I can taste it!
Lily {Gastro Senses}
Dinner inspo right there Lady! Imma have to make this STAT! Love all the colors!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Lily! Enjoy!
Dana
This salad is gorgeous, Elaine! I love love love big and hearty salads that eat like meals, but I've never come across any with this flavor profile. I'm going to have to recreate a pescetarian version of this! So inspired now.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Dana! Try it with shrimp. It's to die for!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
This is the perfect summer salad Elaine! Love all the colour and flavor! I'm a big fan of chicken salads so I'm definitely saving this one to make later!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Leanne,
It's our favourite way to eat--a big bowl of salad and some lean protein!
Cathy
I love salads for dinner, too, and this one looks amazing! Prepping once to eat twice is such an efficient concept! I have Salt Fat Acid Heat on my radar, so perhaps I should just go ahead and order it.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Cathy! It's a great book with a interesting concept that make sense. Nice illustrations, too!