Crock Pot Jerk Chicken Breast (Jamaican Inspired)

posted by Michelle Goth on Apr 20, 2015 (updated Oct 7, 2024)

This Crock Pot Jerk Chicken is an easy way to enjoy the flavors of jerk seasoning! Serve over rice with fresh mango, avocado and cilantro.

When I was a teenager, my brother was married in St. Lucia. It was my first time out of the country, and I fell in love! I adored the friendly residents and the fresh food. When there, I ate my weight in jerk chicken and fries.

I should say upfront that this is not an authentic jerk recipe! Real deal jerk chicken is a time intensive process and requires specialty ingredients including peppers like scotch bonnets that can be hard to find here in the Midwest. Rather, we’ll call this recipe for Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken “Caribbean inspired.” This crock pot recipe uses a pre-made Jamaican jerk seasoning mixture and a few fresh ingredients. I love making this chicken as part of batch cooking, because it’s fork tender, has a lot of fresh flavor, and can be used so many ways!

a close up photo of crock pot jerk chicken breast

What takes this recipe to the next level is the jerk sauce made from the leftover crockpot juices! Just add brown sugar and a bit of soy sauce, and let the mixture come to a quick boil on the stove to reduce and thicken. Whether you plan to make a rice bowl, tacos or just enjoy this chicken by itself, the jerk glaze really makes this dish!

For this easy recipe, I used a pre-made jerk spice rub from the grocery store! But of course, you’re welcome to make your own seasoning. Normally, the style of cooking for jerk chicken is to roast it slowly on the grill over low heat. I used slow cooking for this recipe to mimic the tenderness of the slow cooked, barbecued chicken I had in the Caribbean! It does miss a bit of smoky flavor but is so much easier, I thought it was a decent trade-off!

Check out the rest of the slow cooker chicken recipes on Blackberry Babe.

Crock Pot Jerk Chicken – Recipe Substitution Ideas

Use chicken thighs or chicken legs instead of the white meat chicken breasts.

Substitute pineapple juice for the orange juice.

Of course, you can make your own jerk seasoning! I used the Spice Islands brand seasoning, available at most grocery stores.

You can absolutely use skin-on chicken pieces! But, if you’d like crispy skin, I’d recommend placing the cooked pieces of chicken on a baking sheet and broiling in the oven for 2-3 minutes. This will nicely crisp up the skin on top of the chicken.

a photo of slow cooker jerk chicken on a plate

Serving Suggestions

If you’re enjoying the big flavor of this chicken by yourself, you’ll need some side dishes! This crockpot jerk chicken recipe is PERFECT with coconut rice and a side of black beans! You can also serve it over white rice or cauliflower rice.

My preference is to serve the chicken in a rice bowl, topped with mango salsa! You can also shred the chicken to make jerk chicken tacos. If you make tacos, I recommend using corn tortillas, and topping them with my Cilantro Slaw, then drizzling with the glaze! Fresh avocado, pineapple, juicy mango or diced bell pepper are also great additions.

Crock Pot Jerk Chicken Breast (Jamaican Inspired)

This Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Chicken is an easy way to enjoy the flavors of jerk seasoning! Serve over rice with fresh mango, avocado and cilantro.

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Course: Main Course

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 6

Additional Time: 15

Total Time: 6 25

Calories: 447kcal

Author: Michelle Goth

Ingredients

For the crockpot chicken:

4 boneless chicken breasts fat trimmed
1 cup orange juice
1 lime juiced
1/4 cup jerk seasoning

For the glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup leftover juices from crockpot
1 teaspoon soy sauce

For garnish (optional):

fresh green onions or cilantro
fresh avocado or mango/pineapple
lime wedge
fresh jalapenos or habanero pepper

Instructions

Place chicken breasts in single layer in bottom of crockpot.
Cover with orange juice and lime juice. Then, top with jerk spice mixture.
Cover and let the chicken cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours.
Remove chicken from crockpot, and check for doneness. It should shred easily!
For the glaze, heat a small saucepan on the stove top on medium-low heat.
To the saucepan, add 1 cup of the leftover juice from the crockpot, brown sugar and soy sauce.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by at least half.
Top chicken with any of the optional toppings, then drizzle the glaze over the top.
Serve warm.

Notes

Tip: If you are serving with rice, purchase instant rice, and follow the microwave instructions on the box! It yields perfect rice every time, and no scrubbing burned rice. I love using Pyrex bowls for this.