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Warm Chicken and Mango Salad with Croutons

Chicken and mango salad is a gloriously vibrant sweet and savoury recipe featuring a chilli and lime dressing and crispy croutons.

This hearty salad is best served warm and can go from your fridge to your table in right around 30 minutes!

Overhead warm chicken and mango salad with croutons and red onion.

Warm Fruity & Spicy Chicken Salad

Salad was never really part of food when I was growing up, but I am now really rather fond of a main course salad.

They are not a pious affair to me, in fact, quite the opposite. I have dishes like roasted fig salad, a duck and orange salad, sausage salad, peach and feta cheese salad and a smoked mackerel and apple salad!

I even have a gammon salad built in the same ideas behind gammon, egg and chips!

This easy spicy mango and chicken salad picks up on some of the ideas that I use in my spicy mango side salad. It combines them with a simply spiced and pan-fried chicken breast.

I butterfly and flatten the chicken to really speed up the cooking time and add some crispy croutons.

The whole salad is finished off with a zingy and easy lime and chilli dressing.

Close up warm chicken and mango salad with croutons and red onion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken thighs?

Yes, of course! Cook them in the same way as here, you may need to cook them a little longer.

Ensure that they reach 73°C or 165°F before serving.

Do I have to griddle the mango and lettuce?

No, you can just cut them up and serve them. I like to drop them on the griddle pan because it gives them a slightly bittersweet edge that I love.

How do you prepare a mango?

I just so happen to have the perfect video for you, see below!

What sort of chilli should I use?

The answer to this really should be informed by your liking and tolerance of chilli! Add something that you are comfortable eating, it is not meant to be a challenge to eat your dinner.

Warm chicken and mango salad with croutons and red onion.

Serving Suggestions

This chicken and mango salad is a simple one-bowl dish and I tend not to add anything on the side. Not unless a nice cold glass of white wine counts as a side dish anyway!

However, I am fond of adding a little more heat and a little more acidity.

For me, that means pickled chillies, thanks to my time in Hungary I have grown to love them and they are great with this salad.

Spicy chicken and mango salad with croutons and red onion.

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I believe they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • 28cm or 11″ frying pan, not nonstick if possible.
  • Griddle pan.
  • Mixing bowls.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Weighing scales and measuring spoons.
  • A jar for mixing the dressing.
  • Quick read meat thermometer (Optional).
Spicy chicken and mango salad with croutons and red onion.
Yield: 2 Servings

Warm Chicken and Mango Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

This warm chicken and mango salad is the epitome of bright and zingy summer flavours but is made with ingredients that are available all year round.

Ingredients

  • 1 (250g) Skinless Chicken Breast
  • ½ Tsp Onion Salt
  • ½ Tsp Garlic Granules
  • ½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 1 Red Onion
  • 50g (2 Slices) Bread
  • 1 Romaine Lettuce
  • 1 Mango
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Handful Fresh Coriander

For the Dressing:

  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
  • 1 Red Chilli Pepper
  • Pinch Sugar
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Butterfly the chicken breast and then flatten it with a meat mallet to an even thickness of around 1-1.5cm (1/2").
  2. Mix together the onion salt, garlic granules, and smoked paprika with the cooking oil, then coat the chicken well and set it aside.
  3. Cut the red onion in half, then peel it and slice it into half-moon shapes around 1-2mm thick.
  4. Deseed the chilli for the dressing and dice it as finely as you can, then place it into a jar with the remaining dressing ingredients, mix and set aside.
  5. Cut the bread into 1cm cubes, (I cut the crusts off and eat them as I cook because I'm greedy).
  6. Roughly chop the coriander.
  7. Cut the cheeks off the mango, slice the flesh into long strips taking care not to cut through the skin, finally use a spoon to pop out the mango strips.
  8. Heat a frying pan (not nonstick) over a high heat and when it is hot add the chicken breast and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, then remove and allow to rest. Ensure that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 73°C or 165°F!
  9. Add the olive oil to the pan that the chicken was cooked in and toast off the diced bread to form some crispy croutons.
  10. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and sear the mango on both sides to get some nice griddle marks, then remove and place in a bowl with the chopped coriander and toss to coat.
  11. Cut the Romaine lettuce in half lengthways and add them cut side down to the griddle pan to get some nice griddle marks, then remove and roughly chop and add to the bowl with the mango.
  12. Slice the chicken into strips around 5mm thick and add them to the lettuce and mango mix.
  13. Throw in the red onion, season with the dressing and toss to coat.
  14. Serve in bowls adding the croutons to finish the dish.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 720Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 975mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 6gSugar: 29gProtein: 44g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Deanna

Friday 9th of February 2018

Oh! I love the mango with this! I agree I am tired of winter foods, I so want to grill again! I do have an indoor grill, Mmm I know what I want to make for dinner!

Brian Jones

Saturday 10th of February 2018

My kitchen is tiny so no indoor grill for me, but just a few months before grilling season kicks off for me and it cannot come quickly enough.

Alyssa

Friday 9th of February 2018

I've never thought about grilling mango, though it's a sturdy fruit just like pineapple so I'm sure it holds up well and is delicious. I might add a grilled avocado to this salad!

Brian Jones

Saturday 10th of February 2018

It really works well, I particularly love it on the BBQ. Give it a try you will love it.

Sonal

Friday 9th of February 2018

beautiful combination of Asian flavors there. I am a vegetarian and getting so inspired by the ingredients that you used to create this recipe. Tonnes of flavors.

Brian Jones

Friday 9th of February 2018

Have fun, I reckon this would work a treat with some grilled halloumi cheese!

Lizzie

Friday 9th of February 2018

This salad is so colourful! We love mango here. I agree that salads shouldn't just be about dieting and low calories, I love a good pile of protein in my salad, and the peanuts must add a nice crunch!

Brian Jones

Friday 9th of February 2018

It definitely ticked the summer boxes, shame I cannot say the same for outside the closed blinds ;)

Dannii

Friday 9th of February 2018

I love chicken and mango salad and it’s such a nice way to bring some sunshine to a cold grey day.

Brian Jones

Friday 9th of February 2018

Cheers Dannii.

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