Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad

This salad is inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Portland, Oregon, called Kingsland Kitchen. It’s a restaurant that started as a food cart and quickly became everyone’s favorite lunch spot with a massive cult following. Thanks to their success, Kingsland Kitchen became a brick and mortar restaurant in 2017. It’s a great restaurant with friendly owners and excellent food. I really miss my bi-weekly lunches there.  

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In an attempt to bring a little of Kingsland into my kitchen, I’ve created my rendition of my favorite of their dishes, the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad.  This salad is all about flavor and will leave all salad-naysayers wanting more. The chicken is marinated in jerk seasoning ensuring a tender, juicy and flavorful meat. It’s grilled alongside fresh spring scallions and limes that caramelize and sweeten when cooked over the coals. A sweet and tangy pineapple salsa and creamy and spicy jerk dressing top the salad, along with cilantro and the juice from the grilled limes. Delicious!

This salad may call for a few steps, but it’s well worth the work. Choose a warm and sunny weekend evening, pull out the grill and a cold beverage, and get to salad-making. 

To start, make the jerk seasoning. In a glass jar with tight-fitting lid, blend ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, ½ teaspoon of ground ancho chili pepper, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Mix until well incorporated. 

Place 2 chicken breasts in a bowl along with 1 ½ tablespoons of jerk seasoning. Rub the seasoning over the chicken, then place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least one hour to marinate. 

While the chicken is marinating, make the jerk salad dressing. In a small bowl, add ½ cup of sour cream, ¼ cup of buttermilk, one tablespoon of jerk seasoning, one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, one teaspoon of hot sauce and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir until smooth, then place in the refrigerator until needed. 

When the chicken has marinated, start the grill. You want a fairly hot grill of about 400 deg F.  When hot, rub the grill grates with a paper towel that has been dredged in oil. Brush the grates about 10-15 times to make sure they are well oiled. Place the marinated chicken, fresh scallions and two limes (halved and placed face down) on the grill. Grill the limes and scallions until nicely charred and caramelized. They will come off the grill first. Continue cooking the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 deg F. Use an instant read thermometer like this one to check for doneness. When cooked through, take the chicken off the grill and cover it with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes. 

While the chicken rests, prepare the pineapple salsa. Add one cup of chopped pineapple, ¼ cup of chopped red onion, ¼ cup of chopped cilantro, one tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of ½ of a grilled lime and ½ teaspoon of salt to a bowl. Stir to combine. 

To assemble the salad, wash and roughly chop one head of green leaf lettuce and place onto a platter; about 6 cups of chopped lettuce. Slice and place the chicken on top of the greens, along with the grilled limes and scallions. Top the salad with the pineapple salsa and jerk dressing.  Enjoy! This salad serves 4-6.