Jerk Rubbed Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Maybe it was one too many grilled chicken breasts in the ’90s that seemed to be the only meat that was allowed when you were on a diet, or it could be that it always seemed to be so dry and bland.

Boring, white meat chicken, grilled until we were sure it was dead and every last bit of juice had been pressed right out of it. We have all grilled that same piece of boring chicken, and we know it.

Boring chicken, be gone! Today I am going to share with you an anything-but-dull recipe for Jerk Rubbed Chicken and Pineapple Salsa.

Jerk is a Jamaican style of cooking that uses a mixture called jerk spice as a dry-rub or marinade. The spices that go into different jerk recipes vary, but they all have a similar profile. Allspice and Scotch Bonnet peppers are the key ingredients along with clove, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, scallions, and thyme.

Although the wet-rubbed jerk is my favorite, sometimes I don’t have time to plan ahead for an eight-hour marinade. To save time, I like to keep a bottle of this dry rub jerk spice in my cupboard, and it has become one of my favorite no-guilt/no-plan meals on the grill. The dry-rubbed jerk chicken is full of spice and warm flavors, not fat, and has a hint of added char flavor from the coals of your backyard grill.

In order to avoid purchasing a bunch of extra spice jars for just this dish, I’ve incorporated a shortcut using one of my favorite “fall” spice mixtures. Pumpkin pie spice makes a great base for jerk dry rubs because it already contains four of the ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Then, I add a little onion powder, dried thyme leaves, ground red pepper, cloves, a little extra allspice, salt and cracked black pepper.

To top off the spicy chicken, serve a cool and mouth-watering pineapple salsa over the top. It’s made from fresh diced pineapple, red bell pepper, and jalapenos. Toss them together with the juice of one lime, a pinch of kosher salt and a handful of fresh chopped cilantro.