Are you ready for another super easy meal prep (or weeknight dinner)? This Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa is incredible simple, but still big on summery flavor. The spicy jerk seasoning perfectly compliments the sweet pineapple salsa, and the black beans add bulk and extra protein to the meal without adding a lot to the cost. And even better yet, you can serve this meal hot, or eat the leftovers cold for a nice refreshing summer lunch.
What is Jerk Seasoning?
Jerk seasoning is a spicy, savory, and sweet blend of spices native to Jamaican cuisine. This flavorful blend usually consists of hot peppers (Scotch Bonnet), garlic, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and other spices. These spices are often used in marinade form for pork, chicken, or seafood, but the dry spice blend can be used to season just about any food. Read more about the history of jerk seasoning here.
Since authentic jerk seasoning contains some items that I don’t usually keep on hand, I purchased a bottle of pre-blended jerk seasoning at the grocery store (see photos below). But if you want to try your hand at making your own, check out this recipe for jerk seasoning from Immaculate Bites.
Can I Substitute the Chicken Breast?
If you don’t have boneless, skinless chicken breast, you could just as easily make this recipe with boneless chicken thighs, shrimp, or even salmon. The beauty of jerk seasoning blend is that it goes great on just about anything! So if you’re concerned about buying some for just this recipe, I promise you’ll get more use out of it.
Can I Substitute the Jasmine Rice?
Feel free to swap out the white jasmine rice that I used here for brown rice, quinoa, or even something like Cumin Lime Coleslaw if you want to up the vegetable content. And if you want to go the extra mile, I think Savory Coconut Rice would be awesome with these flavors!
Meal Prep It!
This meal works great for weekly meal prep. Pack the portions up into single serving containers and they’ll keep in the refrigerator for about four days.
Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.70)
Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
- 2 cups pineapple tidbits* ($0.50)
- 1 15oz. can black beans, well rinsed ($0.89)
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion ($0.16)
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro ($0.17)
- 1 lime ($0.75)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.02)
Jerk Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2/3 lb. each) ($6.42)
- 1 Tbsp jerk seasoning ($0.030)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
Instructions
- Begin cooking your rice first. If you plan on packing this for meal prep, transfer the cooked rice to your meal prep containers and refrigerate them as you finish the rest of the recipe, so they can begin to cool down.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the pineapple black bean salsa. Coarsely chop the pineapple tidbits into smaller pieces, similar in size to the black beans. Place the chopped pineapple, rinsed black beans, diced red onion, and chopped cilantro in a large bowl.
- Squeeze the juice of half the lime (about 1 Tbsp) over the ingredients in the bowl. Also add 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional). Stir the ingredients together, give it a taste, and add more salt or lime juice if needed. Any unused lime will be cut into wedges for squeezing over the chicken before serving.
- Next, prepare the jerk chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken to eliminate splatter, then gently pound the chicken breasts into an even thickness using either a rolling pin or a mallet. Sprinkle the jerk seasoning over both sides of the chicken and use your hands to rub it into the surface, making sure they're completely coated.
- Add the cooking oil to a large skillet, or preheat your grill. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until well browned on both sides, and the chicken is completely cooked through (about 7 minutes each side). It should no longer be pink in the center and the juices should run clear. For extra safety, use an instant read meat thermometer and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest for five minutes. After five minutes, slice the chicken into 1/2-wide strips.
- To serve, place about a cup of cooked rice on a plate, or in your meal prep container, top with about a cup of the pineapple black bean salsa, and a few strips of the jerk chicken. Slice the remaining lime into wedges and squeeze fresh juice over the chicken just before eating.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Color Cutting Boards
- Rolling Pin
- Nonstick Fry Pans
- Glass Meal Prep Containers
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa – Step by Step Photos
Begin by cooking the rice because you’ll be able to prepare a lot of the rest of the recipe as the rice cooks. Cook the rice according to the package directions and if you’re going to be meal prepping this meal, transfer the cooked rice to your containers and refrigerate it as you finish the rest of the recipe so that it can begin to cool.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the pineapple black bean salsa. Roughly chop 2 cups of pineapple tidbits into smaller pieces, about the size of the black beans. I used fresh, but you could also use frozen (thawed, of course), or pineapple canned in juice. Make sure the black beans are well rinsed so they don’t turn the salsa black. Roughly chop about 1/2 cup cilantro, and finely dice about 1/3 cup red onion. Place the pineapple, black beans, cilantro, and red onion in a bowl.
Add the juice of half a lime (about 1 Tbsp), 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional). Give everything a good stir, then taste it and add more salt or lime juice if needed.
Next, start working on the chicken. Pat two chicken breasts dry with paper towel, and if they are particularly thick, place a piece of plastic wrap over top and gently pound them out to an even thickness. This helps them cook evenly (the thin end won’t get all dried out before the thick end cooks through).
This is the jerk seasoning that I picked up a the store a while back. Every brand is going to be a bit different, so make sure to check the label to see if yours contains salt. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to add some salt to the chicken breast as well.
Coat each side of the chicken breasts with jerk seasoning, making sure to rub it in so the surface is completely coated.
You have several options for cooking your chicken. You can do it outdoors on a grill, use a countertop grill like a George Foreman, use a cast iron grill pan, or even just a skillet like I used. To cook it in a skillet, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil to a skillet and heat it over medium. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the chicken and cook on each side until it’s well browned and the chicken is cooked through (about 7 minutes each side). Make sure the chicken is no longer pink inside and the juices are running clear.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest for five minutes. This is very important because if you cut into it right away all the steam will escape and the chicken will not be as moist. Once it has rested, slice it into 1/2-inch wide strips.
To serve, simply pile about a cup of rice on your plate or bowl, add about a cup of the pineapple black bean salsa, and top with a few strips of the jerk chicken. Slice the remaining lime into wedges so you can squeeze some fresh juice over the chicken just before eating.
Or, pile it all into meal prep containers and pop it in the fridge for later. :) You can eat your leftovers cold, like a salad with grilled chicken strips, or reheat the entire thing (minus the lime wedge).
For more information about meal prepping, how it works, and why I do it, check out Meal Prep 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Prepping and Portioning Meals, or check out my entire Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Archive.
Delish! I doubled the jerk seasoning (2 tbsp per side of chicken) and accidentally dumped my entire Celtic sea salt container into my bean & pineapple salsa. I ended up adding a couple tablespoons of organic honey to compensate for the heavily salted recipe. (Ooops!) Scraped as much salt out of the bowl as possible & it was still scrumptious!!!!!
My daughter got a trial size of jerk seasoning at a discount from Penzeys, so we made this recipe. So delicious and easy.
Delicious and so easy to make!
A regular dinner at our house! Super easy with simple, delicious flavors.
I made this including using the homemade jerk seasoning and the slaw and it was a huge hit at our house! I did have to use canned pineapple tidbits but I had no sugar added and next time I will be sure to use fresh.
I’ve made this a bunch and love it, especially with a side of your coconut rice and some cream reserved and dribbled over top.
However, some family members don’t love the raw red onion. Any ideas for how to take a little of the bite out or a substitution that would work?
Soak the red onion in cold water to lessen it’s bite. You can also use any other onion. XOXO -Monti
This recipe is SOOOO delicious, I love it! I have made it multiple times and we love it. Since there are just two of us, I actually cut the recipe down to one piece of chicken and cut it horizontally to get two pieces that way. Helps give us few leftovers since chicken doesn’t always reheat well and make this more as a fresh dinner rather than a meal prep.
This is so delicious! I made this recipe a few years ago and loved it, and just recently come back to it to make it as a meal prep. It’s just as good as I remembered. I do find the rice just a bit too plain, perhaps I will try cooking it in chicken broth next time.
Oh, I just noticed I missed the note about making this recipe with coconut rice – I am absolutely trying that!
I loved this recipe with chicken breast. Has anyone tried it with tofu?
Great recipe, delicious tropical flavors! However, <48hr leftovers suffered from the pineapple (bromelain?) overtenderizing, arguably dissolving, the cooked chicken (which I had pre-sliced for convenient lunching). I would advise separate storage of the salsa or leaving the chicken unsliced. Honestly an absurd experience.
This recipe was delicious! I made it for dinner tonight, and we loved it! I added some sautéed cabbage as a side dish, end it was really filling. This one is a keeper for sure!
This recipe was a huge hit with my family. I used canned pineapple in the salsa and made my own jerk seasoning for the chicken. It’s definitely going to go in the rotation for meals we cook again!
FIRE! This stuff is sooooo good! I’ve been having a go at meal prepping for these past few weeks in an effort to curb my extremely expensive & unhealthy Postmates addiction. My issue has always been that I get so sick of eating the same thing by the 3rd day that it’s a challenge to eat the prepped food. With this recipe, I don’t have that issue! I used the Walkerswood traditional Jamaican jerk seasoning in hot & spicy & it’s to die for! The sweetness of pineapple salsa complements the spice of the chicken so well. This is definitely be one of my go-to meal prep recipes. Amazing job!
I try new recipes every week, but this is the first time I comment on one. I feel like I just have to let everyone know how amazing this recipe is. Tasty with very few ingredients and no complicated steps. After frying the chicken, I deglazed the pan with the juice from the can of pineapple and some lemon juice, salt, pepper, a pinch of brown sugar, and poured it over the chicken (because my family always likes a bit of sauce). Served with coconut rice. Yum, yum, YUM!
Are the calories correct? I know a cup of white rice is about 200 cal. I can’t imagine the other ingredients adding up to only 97 cals. Thanks!
Thanks for catching that! I recalculated it. :)
I make this ALL THE TIME. It makes the best meal prep and it’s so good I’ll eat it hot or cold. It works just as well with shrimp, and recently I even tried swapping the pineapple for mango to test it for a friend who doesn’t like pineapple. It was still so amazing!
We made this tonight! My daughter bought some jerk seasoning which was flavorful, but not wicked spicy. I lived the treat of fresh pineapple. We’ll definitely make this again.
Simple ingredients and deviously healthy
I made this tonight in the omnivore meal plan and it is SO GOOD. My husband raved about it and said this is the meal I need to make for guests. The flavor is amazingly balanced and perfect! I did plain white rice because that’s what I had on hand but I’m definitely going to make it again and try jasmine or that coconut rice you mention. Best recipe ever!! Thank you!!
Side note- the one pot meal plan and the omnivore meal plans have been life savers and we’ve loved every meal, even ones I was skeptical about… but this one so far is the BEST.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this so much and that the meal plans have been so helpful to you!! <3
This was delicious. I made a jerk seasoning from an online post and it was spicy!! But the coolness of the
salsa toned down the heat. Perfect meal. I will make it again.
Hello, Is this okay to do up and Freeze?
This would be a great freezer meal Emma. Enjoy!
Meal prepped this for my lunch this week. It is delicious and it was easy and quick to make.
Sooo tasty and easy to make! I tried 2 recipes so far and both of them were so good. I’m really glad I found this blog!
Does the nutritional value include the rice?
The nutrition data provided is calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any ingredient listed as optional. Keep in mind that recipes that involve marinades, breading, salad dressings, oil for frying, or salt for cooking pasta and potatoes may be skewed because some of these ingredients will be discarded and not included in the final edible portion.
This recipe is fantastic. I used frozen salmon fillets (patted dry) with homemade jerk seasoning from a random google recipe (it takes about 13 different spices but nothing crazy). Fresh pineapple and half a jalapeño instead of the red pepper flakes in the salsa gave it a nice kick. Will definitely make again.
Thank you for broadening my cooking horizons to try new flavors I never would have thought of!
So tasty and such a nice mix of fresh flavours and colours!
This was so easy and a good way to switch up the way I used chicken breast! I subbed cauliflower rice to make this a bit lower in carbs and less calories. I also shared this with the meal prep group I have on Facebook.
This is SO. GOOD. Not even exaggerating, my boyfriend and I have eaten it every week for about a month now. I use frozen pineapple tidbits from Trader Joe’s and Badia jerk seasoning and it couldn’t be easier or more delicious.
I’ve even started using my air fryer to cook the chicken breasts (400 for 20–no need to pound) while the rice is cooking which makes it easier to double the recipe. Like I said…we eat a lot of this.
Thanks Beth!
I **LOVE** this meal and the fact that it is both extremely simple and extremely flavourful … a flavour vacation (on a budget!) This is site has become my go-to when I need new ideas to spice up my boring pantry and recipe selection!! Thanks so much!!!
I love that “flavor vacation”!
What are the spices used to make “Jerk” spice (if you can’t but it locally)?
There are a lot of different versions of jerk spice seasoning, so if you Google “jerk seasoning recipe” you’ll find quite a few to choose from, maybe even some that use things you already have on hand. :)
What could one substitute for the black beans that is Keto-friendly?
Thanks!
Can you send me the coconut rice Jamaican jerk recipe?
Here you go: Savory Coconut Rice
When using this meal as a meal prep, how many days will it continue to stay fresh? Also, is there anything you recommend to substitute the cilantro? The recipe looks delicious and I’m so excited to try it tonight!
I try to limit my meal preps to 4 days as I find that they decline too much in quality after that. I find that green onion gives a nice fresh flavor to dishes like this in place of cilantro, but you’ll probably want to reduce the red onion to compensate.
This is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! Made very generous portions too. I always go a little heavy on the spices, especially the red pepper in the salsa. I also baked the chicken (seemed easier) and didn’t go through this whole flattening process. I used canned crushed pineapple too – I actually disagree respectfully with the original recipe; I prefer the taste and texture (also juicer) of canned pineapple for things like this. Buying crushed also saved work cutting it up (let alone the work of cutting eyes out of the pineapple). Amazingly delicious though. Even my husband, who generally doesn’t like jerk seasoning or pineapple in savory foods, loved it!
I can not find the original Jamaican chicken jerk bowl with coconut rice. Can you please send it to me.I lost that recipe.
Yep, I’ll email that to you now. :)
I would love this recipe too! I used to make this often and now I can’t find it.
I just emailed it to you. :)
Hi! This looks great, but was trying to find the original recipe for the Jamaican jerk bowls with coconut rice. Anywhere I can find that? Thanks!
I’ll email it to you (the email you used to comment). Let me know if it doesn’t arrive! :)
What is the calorie count on this recipe for one serving?
Fabulous! I knew it was going to be good when my husband came into the kitchen following his nose. And it was just as good as it smelled.
So you used to have a recipe for pineapple and black bean salad (with bulgur) and whenever I click on that recipe either from pinterest or your index it sends me to this page, which looks delicious but not what I’m going for this week. Any way you could fix it or at least send me the old recipe?
Yep, I’ll send you the pdf to the email address you used to leave this comment. If you don’t get it or need it sent elsewhere, just email us at support@budgetbytes.com
I’m going to make this tomorrow. Yummo!
This was delicious!! I used brown rice (for a diabetic friend), green onions instead of red (because they still have some zip but don’t give you dragon breath), and chicken thighs (juicier, and no pounding). It was so so tasty!! Sometimes I can be overwhelmed by the sweetness of pineapple, but in this salsa, it WORKS. Winner!
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Hi! I love your page! I found it today and have been reading your posts all day. I have been recently getting into meal prepping and have loved almost every aspect of it except for food waste! I appreciate how you list out how much of each ingredient is necessary for each recipe and their individual costs per recipe… BUT what I have never understood about meal prepping in general, is how you can only account for say two green onions, or 10 cherry tomatoes! Dont they always come in larger quantities?? I try to use recipes that use similar ingredients to avoid waste but I still find that I either get tired of the same few ingredients or end up wasting things like cilantro, parsley, green onions, basil etc…
I do the same as you, and try to reuse ingredients to reduce my waste. I usually can’t eliminate *all* of my waste and may have to toss a green onion or two, or a half bunch of parsley at the end of the week. I compost to help reduce the burden on the landfill and just have to remember that all of my efforts toward reducing waste by being mindful and cooking at home are not negated by the small portion that doesn’t get used at the end. Just by eating at home and carefully planning what I buy, cook, and eat, I am wasting FAR less than the average American, and I think that’s a win. :) It’s not all or nothing. I try to use up my leftover vegetables and things in dishes like scrambled eggs, salads, soups, and pasta dishes. I’m constantly scavenging my fridge for anything I can toss in! :)
I left out the onions (I know, I know… husband doesn’t like them…), used canned pineapples and used a liquid jerk seasoning since that’s all my grocery store had. It’s called Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. This turned out fantastic!
Just a note, if you meal prep this, you need to keep the salsa away from the chicken. The pineapple enzymes will breakdown the chicken after a day or two and turn it to mush. You learn from experience. Good to know for next time. Flavors are great.
This one was a real winner. I made it for meal prepping and it’s definitely the kind of recipe you’re still excited to dig into two days later! I love that the salsa is still delicious even if you just throw in convenient amounts of the ingredients without doing any measuring. I recommend making a flavoured rice instead of plain (I added ginger to mine and cooked it in a mix of coconut milk and chicken stock) as well as making sure the chicken breasts really are pounded to even thickness. My chicken was a bit dry at the ends because I didn’t do that step thoroughly enough.
Made this last night and it was delicious – ate it cold for leftovers today for lunch and the salsa had worked its magic in the fridge and gotten even better. Never had anything from this site that we didn’t like. Thanks!
I made this for dinner tonight and had it with salad – SO good! Even after packing up leftovers though, I have quite a bit of the salsa left over. Any suggestions what I can do with it?
So admittedly I took the idea of the pineapple black bean salsa here and served it alongside a cilantro lime chicken instead. I was a little…intrigued by the combination of ingredients, but with fresh rice, this salsa is goooooooood. Oh and, the chicken was good too I guess.
Thank you so much for your recipes Beth, everything I try from your site is a hit <3
Quick question – what kind of rice do you use? Thanks!
This is jasmine rice in the photo.
Love this – it’s great that it can be eaten hot, or cold, so much more versatile for work lunches, and out and about!
I used this recipe on tuna steaks and came out phenominal. The flavors are intense. The pineapple brings out the flavors in the seasoning. I will try it with chicken, which will be a home run. Ican imagine pork chops would also work.
This was SO GOOD. I was up early on a Saturday morning and prepped four servings…but it was so good that I ended up eating one of the servings for breakfast. No regrets! Using canned pineapple turned out just fine. I will definitely be making this again!
Could you (Beth or any of the commenters) share a tried recipe for jerk seasoning?
This sounds awesome. Eat it hot 1st time go round, cold 2nd time go round, create a jerk chicken sammie for even more variety. Sub the sides with whatever you have in your fridge/pantry for even more variety. Thanks again Beth!
Couldn’t find jerk seasoning myself so I ended up making it on my own (minus the sugar) using a helpful online recipe. This was delicious!
I received this recipe in my inbox and noticed I had all those ingredients on hand already. I used canned pineapple (in juice) and it came out amazing! Resting the chicken really keeps those juices locked into the meat. And set a timer for 7 minutes per side of chicken because every time I just ‘feel it out’ I always undercook it myself. This came out perfect! I’ve been following you for some time and this is my first comment! Love your site. You’ve changed my lifestyle both in the cooking department and saving money department!
Love You!!!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was excellent! I couldn’t find jerk seasoning at my grocery store so I subbed with just regular taco seasoning and I had a ton of mangoes on hand so used mangoes instead of pineapples. Great recipe!
That sounds delicious!!! :-)
This sounds awesome! Eat it hot 1st time go round, cold 2nd time go round, create a jerk chicken sammie! Change it up even more with different sides each time served depending on whatever you have in your fridge/pantry! Thanks again Beth!
That is a really good recipe. I made my own seasoning mix from a recipe I found online as I didn’t want to spend 6$ for a jar of something I am not sure I fill like. The beans and chicken flavors go well together. Even my husband complemented on dinner. Thanks so much.
I tried to pin this recipe, but Pinterest was not cooperating. So I went to your pin boards and could not find this recipe.
So I cannot share this for you. Sorry.
Any chance you can remember the name of the store you bought that particular jerk seasoning?
Thank you
I would have, but I don’t remember, tbh! I did check out the selection at Kroger the day I made this (to see if that’s where I had gotten it) and this particular brand wasn’t there, but they had about 4-5 other options.
That’s okay, I know I can find other brands or make my own, just thought it would be great if I could use the brand you used for a first try.
Thanks so much for taking the time to check though, much appreciated.
This post comes at the most opportune time. We’re having guests come over this weekend and my husband has requested tacos. I will certainly include this with some chips and other tasties.
This looks incredible! I’ve never made anything with jerk seasoning, so I don’t own any. Is this a spice blend I could make at home (like your incredible taco seasoning), or should I really go get a premade version?
Personally, this is one I prefer to buy premade because it usually has some things in it that I don’t generally keep on hand. And it usually has a LOT of spices, so instead of measuring out 10 spices, I’d rather just measure from this one bottle. And it’s very versatile, so I know I’ll get use out of it. :)
This looks delicious. Since I’m allergic to pineapple, I think I’ll substitute mango. Thanks, Beth, for always inspiring dinnertime.
Excellent choice! Mango is the perfect substitute.
If using canned pineapple (I always seem to have a can of that in the pantry), should I drain the juice first?
Yes, definitely drain it. :)
This looks incredible and sounds so easy! I can’t wait to make this for my next meal prep. The black bean salsa can be swapped out with another side for more variety and also what you & your kitchen/pantry have on hand. Could eat it hot one meal, cold the next meal, recreate and make a jerk chicken sammie for even more variety. Thanks again Beth!