Baked Mango Chutney Chicken Breast

Mango chutney chicken breast cooked in ghee, fenugreek and curry powder before being baked is a fab sweet & savoury main course centrepiece.

This recipe takes about 35 minutes to cook, and aside from butterflying a chicken breast, it is stupidly simple to make!

Indian(ish) Sweet and Savoury Chicken Breast

As a child from Birmingham in the mid 70's, I kinda grew up surrounded by Indian flavours and they were not always a curry.

A wee bit of curry powder, lime pickle or mango chutney found its way into lots of things I ate.

I still love playing around with these ideas today. Of course, I have a pretty classic curried parsnip soup, but dishes like my mango chutney pork chops and spicy lamb burger with Indian flavours are huge favourites on our table.

This mango chutney-filled chicken breast recipe came about whilst playing around with the pork chop recipe that I mentioned above.

But rather than cooking the chicken in a sauce, I decided to play around with butterflying the breast, spreading the chutney and adding a load of coriander. It works beautifully.

Just before the chicken is roasted in the oven, it gets a generous drizzle of ghee, curry powder and fenugreek.

The flavours work beautifully, but it creates a wonderfully balanced piece of centrepiece to a meal.

A dish where the chicken is still the star, rather than a faceless piece of protein lost in a sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

What mango chutney do you use?

I have become fond of a brand of mango chutney called Shaws in recent years. It is slightly chunky, sweet with a hint of spice.

But you can use anything you like, and if you are feeling adventurous, you can even make homemade mango chutney.

Should I use skin-on or skin-off chicken?

Either is fine for this recipe. I love chicken skin, so use skin-on chicken. But if you are not keen or you are watching the calories, feel free to use skinless chicken.

Can I substitute the ghee for butter?

You can, but it is not ideal because it can burn in the oven. You could add a little neutral cooking oil into the mix, which may help prevent the butter from burning.

The lack of "milk solids" in ghee makes it perfect for this recipe if you can get your hands on some. I use it in a lot of my Indian inspired recipes, so don't worry about it hanging around forever.

Is this spicy?

Not particularly, but it does depend on the mango chutney that you use.

If you wanted to make it a little spicier, you could add some freshly chopped chilli with the coriander and mango chutney filling.

Can I make this in advance?

It would be perfectly safe to chill and reheat this, but it would not be at its best!

Serving Suggestions

Chicken and chips were an ever-present dish in the cooking rotation when I was growing up, and I have gone in that direction with the pictures on this page.

However, given the loose Indian influences in this mango chutney chicken breast, I have opted for some masala chips.

I've made them using my air fryer chips recipe, but as the oven is on it would be sensible to make them using some oven chips!

Other superb potato options for this recipe would be my aloo methi, roasted bombay potatoes or aloo jeera recipes.

Potatoes, of course, are not the only game in town, and this chicken would be fantastic with some Indian fried rice or even something like cabbage poriyal!

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands or equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/Stovetop.
• 15cm or 6" saucepan.
• Small baking tray.
• Kitchen tongs and spoons.
• Cocktail sticks (optional).
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• A combination of weighing scales and measuring spoons.