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August 22, 2022

Jerk Chicken Tacos w/ Peach Salsa – Slow Cooker Recipe

by Slow Down Company

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Everything you need to know about these jerk chicken tacos

This delicious summer dish is actually a combination of three recipes – a simple peach salsa, homemade masa harina tortillas, and slow cooked jerk chicken thighs. It’s an incredible meld of sweet and spicy flavors.

You certainly don’t have to make your own masa harina tortillas to make these jerk chicken tacos, but they do have a nutritional advantage.

To make masa harina tortillas, corn (maize) is dried, soaked in limewater, dried again, then ground into a fine powder. This process is called nixtamalization and is native to Mexico, where the process is used in hundreds of dishes from soups, casseroles, cornbread, polenta and tamales.

The nixtamalization process makes masa harina tortillas nutritionally superior to other tortillas. This is because the nixtamalization process “neutralizes antinutrients such as phytic acid, raises the calcium content by up to 400%, increases the protein quality by improving the amino acid balance and digestibility, and releases niacin from its bound form, which is unavailable to our bodies” as Dr. Bill Schindler eloquently puts it in his book Eat Like a Human. Without this traditional Mesoamerican process, the nutrition in corn is not bioavailable and passes right through our digestive tract.

Kitchen essentials

For the jerk chicken thighs:

  • A food processor. I have the Ninja food processor. You can also use a blender.
  • A slow cooker

For the peach salsa:

  • A paring knife and a cutting board
  • A mixing bowl

For the masa harina tortillas:

  • A large mixing bowl
  • Spatula or large spoon
  • Parchment paper
  • Rolling pin (optional)
  • A large skillet
Substitutions

For the jerk chicken thighs:

  • Chicken thighs: I have also made this same recipe using chicken breast. Though delicious, the chicken thighs provide a moister end product. Note that if you want to use any type of boneless chicken, you’ll want to use around 25% less chicken (in weight) to account for the bones.
  • Bone broth: can be substituted with equal parts water or any type of stock.
  • Extra virgin olive oil: can be substituted with equal parts avocado oil.
  • Coconut aminos: can be substituted with equal parts low sodium soy sauce. I prefer coconut aminos to soy sauce because soy is one of the most heavily sprayed and monocropped foods in America.
  • Brown sugar: can be substituted with equal parts cane sugar.
  • Ginger root: 1 inch of fresh ginger root can be substituted with 1 tsp ground ginger.

For the peach salsa:

  • Vanilla bean powder: you can substitute 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean powder with 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
  • Fresh basil: you can substitute each tablespoon of fresh basil for one teaspoon of dried basil.
  • Cane sugar: I don’t recommend using liquid sweeteners (ie. honey or maple syrup) or the salsa will be too wet.

For the masa harina tortillas:

  • Avocado oil: the avocado oil in the tortillas can be substituted with any oil of choice. The avocado oil used for frying the tortillas can be substituted for another high heat cooking fat like tallow, lard or ghee.
Some other chicken recipes to fall in love with:
  • Sourdough Breaded Chicken (Baked)
Jerk Chicken Tacos with peach salsa
Jerk Chicken Tacos with peach salsa
Jerk Chicken Tacos with peach salsa
Jerk Chicken Tacos with peach salsa

Jerk Chicken Tacos w/ Peach Salsa – Slow Cooker Recipe

Recipe by Slow Down Company Course: Main DishesDifficulty: Moderate
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

45

minutes
Cooking time

6

hours 
Total time

6

hours 

45

minutes

Ingredients

  • For the jerk chicken thighs
  • 3.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs (or 2.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs)

  • 1 sweet onion, roughly chopped

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • 4 scallion stalks, roughly chopped

  • 1 inch of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

  • 1 tbsp allspice

  • 1/2 tbsp black pepper

  • 2 tsp dried thyme

  • 2 tsp dried nutmeg

  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/4 cup coconut aminos

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 tbsp brown sugar

  • 1 orange, juiced

  • 3/4 cup bone broth

  • For the fresh peach salsa
  • 6 small peaches

  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped finely

  • 1/2 tbsp cane sugar (or more depending on how ripe the peaches are)

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • For the masa harina tortillas (yields 12 tortillas)
  • 2 cups masa harina flour

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 2 tsp avocado oil (and more for frying, optional)

  • 1 1/3 cups warm water

Directions

  • For the jerk chicken thighs
  • Prepare the jerk sauce. In your food processor, combine the onion, garlic cloves, scallions, ginger, seasonings (allspice, pepper, thyme, nutmeg, salt), coconut aminos, brown sugar and orange juice. Pulse until you have a cohesive but still chunky consistency (see photo for reference).
  • Bring it all together. Pour roughly half of the jerk sauce into the slow cooker, then add in the chicken thighs and pour the remaining sauce evenly on top. Then pour in the bone broth. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for about 3 hours. Once done, you can pull the chicken using two forks, remove the bones and add the pulled chicken back to the slow cooker on warm until ready to eat.
  • For the peach salsa
  • Prep the peaches. Do so by washing them, then cutting them in half and removing the pits. Now you can cut the peaches into small 1/2 inch pieces.
  • Add the remaining ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the peaches with the rest of the ingredients and stir to meld the flavors. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge in an air-tight container for 1-2 days.
  • For the masa harina tortillas:
  • Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
  • Add in wet ingredients. First add in the oil, then slowly pour the warm water in. Use a spatula or large spoon to mix ingredients as much as you can, then work with your hands until a cohesive dough is formed. Knead dough for about 1 minute.
  • Shape tortillas. Divide dough into 12 balls. For easy, uniform balls, split dough in half down the middle, then split your new section in half, then split each of those new sections in half two more times.
    Roll each section into a ball. If at any time the dough feels dry, just lightly wet your hands and work into dough.
    Sandwich one dough ball in between two pieces of parchment paper. Use the bottom of your skillet pan to flatten the ball until it forms a 4 inch tortilla. You can also use a rolling pin if needed.
  • Pan fry tortillas. Add a thin layer of avocado oil (optional) to skillet on medium-high heat. Place as many tortillas into the pan as can fit. Cook for about 40-60 seconds per side. You should see some light browning appear. Wrap in a clean dish towel to stay warm and soft and repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Once everything is prepared, you can bring it all together and enjoy!

Notes

  • The original recipe makes roughly 4-5 servings. The nutrition label is based on 4 servings.

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Nutrition Facts

4 servings per container

Serving Size1 servings


Calories824

  • Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
  • Total Fat 28.9g 45%
    • Saturated Fat 4.6g 23%
    • Trans Fat 0.0g
  • Cholesterol 227.0mg 76%
  • Sodium 1636.3mg 69%
  • Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
  • Total Carbohydrate 77.6g 26%
    • Dietary Fiber 7.4g 30%
    • Sugars 29.2g
  • Protein 66.4g 133%

    * The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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    Bianca Soucy, Certified Health Coach

    me

    Hey there! I’m Bianca. I have a passion for creating simple, yet nourishing meals with local and seasonally available ingredients. I’m always dreaming of a slow, easy-going lifestyle – one where a homecooked meal can bring us all together. You can learn more about me by clicking here.

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