Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky

While the Jalapeno Chicken Jerky is Porter’s favourite, this Mango Habanero Chicken Jerly is MY favourite.

(Of the chicken jerky recipes, anyway. I have more options, as I can eat red meat - so I have a bigger pool to choose a favourite from!)

We used to love ordering Mango Habanero chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, when that was still a thing. I loved that sweet heat, and the complex, fruity taste from both the mango and the peppers.

We both preferred it “back in the day”, before a recipe change. At some point, they went WAY hotter with it. I’m fine with heat, but “Hot for the sake of hot” isn’t my thing.

This jerky is hot - but not at the expense of flavour. The heat is deceptively mild at first, but quickly builds - and lingers.

I love having lots of different jerky options when we go on our road trips. We go through a LOT of jerky, after all - it’s super economical, easy to make, has a long shelf life, and is WAY cheaper than commercial jerky.

It saves us from having to go into gas stations for drive day munchies, and it’s fantastic to pack for our hiking trips.

A great source of protein, in a super tasty, portable form!

Anyway, let me show you how to make it!

Equipment

There are two specialized pieces of equipment that I use for making jerky, beyond basics like spoons, bowls, and measuring cups:

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make chicken jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

I’ve had food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls, - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

Think of it this way - The same size of jerky that I tend to make goes for about $4 in a gas station. I get about 10-15 strips out of a batch (varying by recipe)- let’s average that out to 12.

That’s $48 worth of jerky, for $8 or less. Make 5 batches, that’s your $200 in savings!

Anyway, we’re using a dehydrator a LOT more, now that we have a nice one. Having the control over the temperature really opens up the possibilities.

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a nice quality caulking gun (NOT an actual one - keep it food safe!) that you use to pipe out strips of jerky onto your parchment paper.

Mine is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . Regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

Worth every penny, even if I’d paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerk gun, I was HOOKED. I had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

Ingredients

Aside from a couple more speciality ingredients, this recipe uses pretty simple ingredients. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding them in any larger grocery store.

As for the other two, they’re long-shelf-life ingredients that I use in ALL my jerky recipes, so they’re great to have on hand!

A few ingredient notes for you:

Lean Ground Chicken

Use the highest quality ground chicken you can when making chicken jerky.

While fresh or frozen will usually work in my jerky recipes, I recommend using fresh in this one, just due to the amount of liquid ingredients we’re adding.

If you want to make your own ground chicken, trim some boneless skinless chicken breasts - plain chicken - and run them through a food processor or meat grinder until well broken down.

Lean chicken breast meat will have a better shelf life than higher fat dark meat will - fat can go rancid.

Finally, if you want to make turkey jerky, feel free to use the same amount of lean ground turkey.

For that matter, you can swap the meat our for whatever kind of ground meat you prefer!

Mango Puree

Because mangos vary in size, I call for mango puree in this recipe.

That said, I’m talking about actual pureed mangoes - I recommend doing this yourself, with fresh, ripe mangos. Store bought mango puree tends to have sweeteners and/or stabilizers added, and I have not tested any in this recipe.

In terms of the type of mango, I recommend using Ataulfo Mangoes - AKA “Honey Mango”. This is a small, yellow, Mexican mango - and has a much smoother texture than regular mangoes.

One mango tends to be just about perfect for a single batch of this jerky. Try to get your mango as ripe as possible, for the best flavour and sweetness.

Then, just peel, chop, and run through a food processor before measuring.

Habanero Peppers

We call for 3-4 fresh habanero peppers in this recipe, but take that as a guideline.

Some peppers are larger than others - ours were relatively small - and some will be hotter than others.

The heat does mellow out significantly during the drying process, though. Our 4 small habaneros made for a heat that was fairly intense, but not overpowering - just about perfect, given the inspiration for the recipe.

In general though, use fewer/smaller if you’d like less heat, and be sure to remove the seeds and white bits from inside each pepper.

Use more / bigger peppers if you want more heat, and don’t bother seeding them.

Liquid Smoke

As with all of my jerkies, you’ll need some Liquid Smoke - a little goes a lot way!

I only use a small amount in this recipe, to give it a traditional “jerky” flavour - it’s not at all overpowering, just an accent.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market.

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure, same as I use for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats - like pepperoni or summer sausages - and is what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It does this by preventing the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

A couple of things to note:

1. Prague Powder is pink, but it is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier mango habanero chicken jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Honey
Apple Cider Vinegar
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt

... I just don’t really have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

How to Make Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Cut 3 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

Place ground chicken into a medium bowl, set aside.

Add remaining ingredients to a small food processor, blend until smooth. Try not to have any large pieces of habanero peppers remaining.

Add puree to the bowl of ground chicken.

Using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well. REALLY well - for best results, it’s better to overhandle it, than to under-mix it.

To test for doneness, remove a piece of jerky from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature. It should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!).

Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky Storage

Allow Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Chicken jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, it should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of chicken jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a week, if put in the fridge after opening.

More Homemade Jerky Recipes

Are you someone who loves to bring jerky on road trips, hiking trails, and when camping? Me too! Here are some of my go-to recipes for homemade jerkies!

Basic Ground Beef Jerky
Blueberry Bison Jerky
Ginger Beef Jerky
Ground Venison Jerky
Homemade Salmon Jerky
Jalapeno Chicken Jerky
Jerk Chicken Jerky
Lingonberry Elk Jerky
Mushroom Jerky, 2 Ways
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Pepperoni Jerky