Spicy jerk, juicy chicken, sweet pineapple, and creamy coleslaw all piled high on a sesame seed bun. They say you are what you eat and when it comes to our Jerk Chicken Sandwich, we’re perfectly ok with that!
Is there any better food pairing than spicy jerk chicken and a creamy coleslaw? It’s the perfect symmetry of heat, cool, crunch, sauce, and deliciousness, and add in a slice of grilled pineapple, well our Jerk Chicken Sandwich may just be our favourite thing between two toasted buns.
While we’re all for taking the time to make your own jerk seasoning – like in our BBQ Jerk-Inspired Chicken Bowl or our Skewers in our cookbook, Eat With Us – when we’re short on time and looking for quick and easy flavour, a pre-made marinade is a perfect substitute. Made with simple and recognizable ingredients like scotch bonnets, green onions, vinegar, spices, and sugar, we love the flavour found in Grace Food’s Jamaican Jerk Seasoning.
Of course, the longer the marinating time the better the chicken, but if you only have 30 minutes, you will still achieve an amazing sandwich, especially if you’re like us and are a bit heavy-handed with the seasoning. Once your chicken is done marinating, toss it on the grill with pineapple, make our quick coleslaw, toast your buns and layer your sandwich. This is our favourite everyday summer bbq recipe and once you try it once, it will be yours too!
How to Make Our Everyday Jerk Chicken Sandwich with Creamy Coleslaw and Grilled Pineapple
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Boneless Chicken Thighs (Skin on or off)
- Jerk Chicken Marinade
- Mayonaise
- Cider Vinegar
- Honey
- Dijon Mustard
- Celery Seed
- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
- Green Cabbage
- Carrots
- Pineapple
- Buns
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Marinate the Chicken
Get your chicken in a bowl and spoon in the jerk marinade, then mix it until the chicken is coated. I use my hands to ensure that every nook and cranny of the chicken is coated, but be careful as the peppers in the chicken can burn you if you’re sensitive to heat.
Time is your friend here. If possible allow the chicken to marinate for 4 hours or more to get that seasoning flavour through the whole chicken, but if your crunched for time, then just even 30 minutes will give you good flavour.
We used Grace Hot Jerk Seasoning for this recipe, but if you prefer homemade you can use the jerk marinade recipe from our BBQ Jerk Chicken Bowl.
How to Make Our Simple & Quick Creamy Coleslaw
This is our go-to every occasion creamy coleslaw. It combines a classic mayo dressing, but swapping white vinegar for cider vinegar, white sugar for honey, and adding Dijon and celery seed, which is my favourite part of this dressing.
In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 3 tbsp cider vinegar, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp celery seed, salt and pepper. Add half a head of shredded cabbage and 1 cup shredded carrots. Give it a mix and place in the fridge until serving.
How to Grill Jerk Chicken and Pineapple Slices
This is how we like to BBQ our chicken: Preheat your grill on high heat for at least 10 minutes. Oil your grates if necessary and lay down the pineapple and chicken (skin-side down if applicable). Turn the heat down to medium grill the food for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, halfway through. Add the buns for the last minute or two, then transfer everything to a plate so the chicken can rest.
How We Assemble Our Jerk Chicken Sandwich
Ensure your chicken has rested for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. I then cut them half, separating the thinner meat from the thicker. I find this best for assembly.
Start by slathering the bottom bun with mayonnaise. Then layer with a slice of grilled pineapple. Next comes the chicken, 2 to 3 pieces of the thigh will give you a meal-sized sandwich. Top that with a handful of the coleslaw. Finally, slather the top bun with mayo and lay it on top of the coleslaw.
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PrintJerk Chicken Sandwich with Creamy Coleslaw
Spicy jerk, juicy chicken, sweet pineapple, and creamy coleslaw all piled high on a sesame seed bun. They say you are what you eat and when it comes to our Jerk Chicken Sandwich, we’re perfectly ok with that!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Inactive time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
- Category: food + drink, main
- Method: BBQ
- Cuisine: Caribbean, North American
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs (skin on or off)
- 3 tbsp jerk chicken marinade
- 4 slices pineapple
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
Coleslaw
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup shredded carrots
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
No. 1 | Place chicken thighs in a bowl. Spoon jerk seasoning overtop and mix until the chicken is completely coated in the sauce. Place in the fridge to marinate – minimum of 30 minutes, but ideally 4 hours or more.
Make the Coleslaw
No. 2 | In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, Dijon, celery seed, salt, and pepper. Add the cabbage and carrots then toss until combined. Place in the fridge until assembly.
Grill the Chicken and Pineapple
No. 3 | Preheat BBQ on high heat for 10 minutes.
No. 4 | Oil grates if necessary. Arrange chicken (skin-side down if applicable) and pineapple on the bbq and lower heat to medium. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once until chicken is cooked through and pineapple has grill marks and is softened.
No. 5 | Lay the buns, cut-side down, on the bbq and toast for 1 to 2 minutes until golden around the edges and grill marks form.
No. 6 | Remove chicken, pineapple and buns from the grill and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the chicken to rest.
Assemble the Jerk Chicken Sandwiches
No. 7 | Once the chicken has rested, cut the thighs in half to separate the thin portions from the thicker portions.
No. 8 | Slather the bottom buns with mayonnaise. Layer a slice of grilled pineapple, then arrange 2 to 3 pieces of chicken on top. Add a handful of coleslaw and spread mayo on the top bun and place on top. Serve with extra coleslaw on the side.
Notes
- We used Grace Hot Jerk Seasoning, which is great when time is limited. Get a recipe for homemade jerk seasoning on our BBQ Jerk Chicken Bowl Recipe post.
- Ensure chicken is cooked to a temperature of 75°C/165°F.
Keywords: BBQ Recipes, Jerk Chicken Recipes, Spicy Sandwiches
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