13 Best Jamaican Fried Foods: Crispy Chicken, Dumplings and Plantains for the Holiday Season

Brithany NeathOctober 26, 2026

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)

Nothing says holiday table like a platter of something golden and crispy. These are the 13 best Jamaican fried foods on Jerk Tavern, from jerk fried chicken and curry wings to fried dumplings, festival, plantains, vegan cauliflower and twisted donuts. Every recipe is made from scratch with the food we grew up on.

Crispy Fried Chicken

1. The BEST Authentic Jamaican Jerk Fried Chicken

Crispy, spicy and juicy, with jerk flavor in every bite.

👉 Check out this recipe

2. Jamaican Barb Fried Chicken Sliders

Crispy fried chicken stacked on soft buns, a game day and holiday party favorite.

👉 Check out this recipe

3. Easily The Best Curry Fried Chicken Wings

Crunchy wings served with a creamy coconut curry dipping sauce.

👉 Check out this recipe

4. Easily the Best Crispy Fried Chicken Wings

Golden, crunchy and seasoned right, made for game day and holiday gatherings.

👉 Check out this recipe

Vegan Fried Favorites

5. Vegan Escovitch Cauliflower

Crispy fried cauliflower topped with tangy pickled veggies.

👉 Check out this recipe

6. Vegan Jamaican Festival Ball Bites

Golden, sweet festival bites in a fun bite sized shape.

👉 Check out this recipe

Fried Dumplings and Breads

7. How to make Jamaican Fried Dumpling

Golden, fluffy and filling, the perfect side for any plate.

👉 Check out this recipe

8. Jamaican Fry Ova Boiled Dumplings

Leftover boiled dumplings fried until crispy and golden.

👉 Check out this recipe

9. Authentic Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumplings)

Sweet, crispy fried dumplings that pair with everything.

👉 Check out this recipe

Plantains, Fritters and Sweet Treats

10. How to make Jamaican Fried Sweet Plantain

Caramelized, tender and sweet, the side everyone reaches for first.

👉 Check out this recipe

11. Jamaican Fried Green Plantain aka Tostones

Smashed, crispy and salty, a crunchy side or snack.

👉 Check out this recipe

12. The Best Authentic Jamaican Banana Fritters

Warm, golden and sweet, a simple treat for the holiday season.

👉 Check out this recipe

13. How to Make Twisted Donuts

Golden, fluffy twisted donuts rolled in sugar.

👉 Check out this recipe

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

John 15:4 NKJV

A Word of Wisdom

Jesus Christ is all we need in this life. As He said, He is the tree and we are the branches. If a branch is broken off the tree, it no longer lives but starts to die and dry out. An what do we do with dead branches? We burn them for fire. This is what will happen to anyone that is not attached to Jesus. The end of that persons fate is hell fire. But if we abide in Him, or stay attached to Jesus, we will have eternal life. He lives forever, He has already been immortalized, and He promises this to us believers.

So how do we abide in Him? By keeping His words in us. He is the Word of God that became flesh. All the words that He spoke come from our Father in heaven Yah. Jesus is Yah in the flesh. God is a Spirit. So in order for us to know Him, He came as a human being through Jesus, and called Him His only Son. Jesus is in Yah and Yah is in Him. All His words bring life. For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yah.

Every single word that Jesus spoke came from Yah. If we abide in what Jesus told us, we shall never die, but we will all live. Love Him and keep His commandments. Keep His sayings. Hold on to His words of life. His parables, everything we read in the gospels, keep them in your memory, to the point where you start to speak just like Him. An as He said, out of your belly shall flow living waters. Why? Because the words you will start to speak will be His words of life, for us to share to others as well.

Abide in Jesus, He will manifest Himself to you and bless you with the Holy Spirit, that seals us with His promises and gives us the power to overcome death unto eternal life.

Brithany Neath

Brithany Neath is the cook, recipe developer and voice behind Jerk Tavern, the Jamaican and Caribbean food blog she runs with her husband Rackesh from their Florida kitchen. Over five years they have published more than 300 original recipes — jerk chicken, oxtail, curry goat, rice and peas, homemade sauces from scratch and Caribbean fusion dishes — every one cooked, photographed and written by the two of them. Their work has been featured in the Jamaican Gleaner and Jamaican Eats Magazine, and Brithany is a Pinterest Golden Recipe winner with Food52.