Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wraps

About This Recipe

This wrap adapts jerk chicken, Jamaica's most famous export, into a portable lunch format, the fiery scotch bonnet and allspice marinade doing the same essential flavor work as the traditional grilled version. Fresh mango and a simple cabbage slaw provide sweetness and crunch to balance the jerk seasoning's heat, while a cool yogurt sauce helps temper the marinade's considerable spice for those less accustomed to it. Rolled tightly in flatbread, this format keeps jerk chicken's distinctive smoky, spicy character intact while making it easy to eat on the go, a modern spin on a deeply traditional Jamaican flavor profile.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gboneless chicken thighs
• 2scallions(for marinade)
• 1scotch bonnet pepper(for marinade, seeded for less heat)
• 2 clovesgarlic(for marinade)
• 1 tbspground allspice(for marinade)
• 1 tbspbrown sugar(for marinade)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce(for marinade)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil(for marinade)
• 2 tbsplime juice(for marinade)
• 4large flatbreads or flour tortillas
• 1mango(sliced)
• 1 cupshredded cabbage
• 1/2 cupplain yogurt(for sauce)
• 1 tbsplime juice(for sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the marinade

   Blend scallions, scotch bonnet, garlic, allspice, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil and lime juice into a smooth paste.

2. 2

   Marinate the chicken

   Coat the chicken thoroughly in the jerk marinade and refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally longer.

   Marinate for as long as you can manage — even a shorter marinade time benefits significantly from a few extra hours if possible.

3. 3

   Grill the chicken

   Grill or sear the chicken over medium-high heat, 6-7 minutes per side, until charred and cooked through; slice.

4. 4

   Make the sauce

   Whisk yogurt with lime juice.

5. 5

   Warm the flatbread

   Warm the flatbread briefly on a dry skillet.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Layer sliced jerk chicken, mango and cabbage onto the flatbread, then drizzle with the yogurt sauce.

7. 7

   Serve

   Roll tightly and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  A spicier version leaves the scotch bonnet seeds in, or adds an extra pepper.

• •

  Adding avocado gives extra creaminess alongside the yogurt sauce.

• •

  Grilled shrimp can substitute for chicken with the same jerk marinade.

Storage

Cooked chicken keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; assemble fresh wraps rather than storing pre-rolled ones, since the bread softens quickly once filled.

Frequently Asked Questions