This Healthy Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowl has everything you need in one meal. Juicy skillet chicken seasoned with warm jerk spices, served over wild rice with steamed broccoli, and topped with a fresh pineapple black bean salsa. The smoky heat from the chicken and the natural sweetness of the pineapple create a balanced, vibrant flavor that makes this an easy weeknight favorite - Ready in just 35 minutes or less!
I fell in love with Jamaican jerk chicken the first time I tried it, and this bowl quickly became one of my favorite chicken-and-rice meals. The kids love anything with pineapple, so the sweet and savory balance here was an instant hit at our house.
It's a great way to build a full, nourishing meal in one bowl. If you prefer sides, you can always add something simple like a cucumber salad, leafy greens, or roasted root vegetables.
I adapted this from a recipe I tried a few years ago, published by Budget Bytes.
If you love healthy rice bowls, try our popular Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Bowl, Creamy Tuscan Chicken Bowl, or our Trader Joe's Chicken Shawarma Bowl!
🥙 Quick Look: Pineapple Jerk Chicken Bowl
- 🥬 Key Ingredients: Jerk-seasoned chicken, wild rice, pineapple black bean salsa, steamed broccoli
- ⏱ Time: ~15 min prep | ~20 min cook | ~35 min total
- 🍽 Serves: 4
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Warm + smoky jerk spices with fresh, sweet pineapple and bright citrus
- 🌿 Benefits: Balanced meal with protein, fiber, healthy carbs, and micronutrient-rich veggies
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💛 Why You'll Love It
- weet + spicy flavor combo that feels fun and satisfying
- Easy to customize with your favorite grain or greens
- Great for meal prep - reheats beautifully
- Kid-friendly twist thanks to the pineapple
- Nourishing, colorful, and feels like a "complete meal" in one bowl
Ingredients
- Wild rice or a wild rice blend works well. Organic is best to avoid potential pesticides.
- Broth or water (You can also opt to use organic canned coconut milk to make coconut rice for an option of different flavor combinations!
- Pineapple (or mango). Using fresh fruits always tastes best!
- Garlic is always best bought organic to avoid bleached garlic grown in unsanitary conditions.
- Black beans: Canned organic black beans in BPA-free cans!
- Jerk seasoning, an organic jerk seasoning blend, is best. As a good practice, check ingredients to ensure that the only ingredients are spices (without preservatives or additives!)
- Avocado oil (extra virgin olive oil works as well, but avocado oil is recommended for its high smoke point)
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- For a vegan alternative, consider using jackfruit or tempeh as the protein! They can even be substituted with jerk-seasoned zucchini
- Wild Rice may be substituted with brown rice or jasmine rice. It can also be substituted with quinoa or cauliflower rice for a low-carb/ grain-free alternative.
- Broccoli can also be easily substituted for your favorite classic side of steamed or sauteed vegetables like green beans or collard greens.
- For those who like spicy foods, red hot pepper flakes are a great addition to increase the heat of jerk chicken.
- Pineapple salsa can be switched out with mango salsa for a different sweet flavor profile.
How to Make a Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowl
Step 1: Cook your rice according to the package.
Step 2: Cook seasoned and butterflied chicken breasts to 165°F. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and shred.
Step 3: Using a steamer basket and boiling water, steam broccoli for 5-7 minutes.
Step 4: Mix onions, pineapple, cilantro, black beans, lime juice, and salt in a bowl to make the black bean salsa.
To serve: Pour the rice in a bowl, toss in broccoli, chicken, and black bean pineapple salsa.
Hints: If you have separate pans, the rice, chicken, and broccoli can cook simultaneously. (Dinner will be ready even sooner!)
Cook chicken and rice at the same time, and start the broccoli near the end.
While the chicken and rice cook, chop the pineapple and onion, squeeze the lime, and rinse the beans.
While broccoli steams, chop the chicken and mix everything together!
Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowl FAQs
Absolutely. You can swap in tempeh, jackfruit, tofu, shrimp, pork, or beef-just adjust cooking times and seasoning accordingly.
Simply cut back on the jerk seasoning or use half the amount of spicy components. Serve with extra pineapple salsa or a yogurt-lime drizzle to tone down the heat.
Wild rice works well, but you can also use cauliflower rice, quinoa, or a leafy-green base for a lower-carb option.
Yes-cook the chicken ahead, chop the veggies, and store components separately. Reassemble and warm when ready to eat for a quick-to-serve dinner.
More Healthy Dinner Bowls
👀Did you make this Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowl? Let me know how it went in the comments below! Give it a 🌟 review and let others know what you think! Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get the latest recipes directly to your inbox!
Recipe
Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowl
Equipment
- Chefs knife
- cutting board
- large skillet
- Cooking Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 cups wild rice blend rinsed
- 3.5 cups broth or water
- 2 lb chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- 1 tablespoon Jerk Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ red onion minced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- ½ lime juiced
- 1 cup pineapples finely chopped
- 1 head of broccoli cut into florets
Instructions
- Boil 3.5 cups of purified water or organic chicken broth and add in 2 cups of rinsed wild rice. Reduce to medium heat and cover for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let steam, covered for 5 additional minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside
- Butterfly-cut chicken breast fillets (in half, in order to make a thinner and more uniform piece of meat that will cook evenly). Season both sides of the meat with jerk seasoning.
- Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for one minute until fragrant. Add chicken to skillet and let cook for about 6-7min on each side, until all pink is gone and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165. Remove chicken from skillet and let cool on cutting board for 5 min. Slice or shred chicken to desired consistency.
- Place broccoli florets in a steamer basket above half inch of water in a pot. Season with garlic salt and cover. Bring water to a boil. Cover and let steam for 6-7minutes. Remove from heat.
- Put rice in a bowl and top with shredded chicken.
- Put onions, pineapple, cilantro, black beans, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Top the chicken with the bean salsa mixture. add steamed broccoli to the rice and chicken bowl. Enjoy!
Century Foods says
Thanks for sharing this very well-written and worth-reading article.
Wish to see more in the coming days.
Natalie Perry says
Thank you so much
NCP says
The jerk flavors are so good with the black bean salsa. I can even eat the bean salsa with a spoon by itself!