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Latin Mango Chicken is a Latin American-inspired recipe that features a fresh mango and ají amarillo chile sauce over quick sautéed chicken breasts (or thighs) that's ready in under 30 minutes. Garnished with cotija, scallion, and cilantro, and served with cilantro rice or coconut rice, it's a healthy, quick, gluten free weeknight dish that's fancy enough for a dinner party!
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👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks - Recipe Inspiration
Living in south Texas on the border, mangoes are always plentiful and fresh. Other than in salads and salsas, I tend to reserve mangoes for desserts, and sweets.
Not long ago, I ordered a selection of interesting gourmet simmer sauces from Amazon.com that feature Peruvian ají chile peppers. I immediately tried the blood orange and ají panca sauce because I had fresh fish, and I love citrus and fish combinations.
It was actually the mango and ají amarillo sauce that caught my eye, though. I still haven't opened the jar, but at the first opportunity, I bought some chicken breasts to start working on a Latin-inspired chicken breast recipe.
🐓 What do I Love About this Latin Chicken Dish?
- Start to finish, chicken in mango sauce is ready in 30 minutes or less!
- This is a very healthy chicken dish!
- It features fresh MANGOES in a new and exciting way.
- It's gluten free.
📋 Ingredients for Latin Mango Chicken
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- chicken - In the photos, I show a pounded chicken breast. It's easier to get an evenly cooked (not dry) result. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are another excellent option!
- mango - I use one champagne mango per 2 servings. Other mango varieties are good too. Choose a firm mango that yields slightly when pressed.
- ají amarillo paste - Ají amarillo paste brings the heat and a very unique flavor. It is a Peruvian chile pepper, and there really is no substitute. You can certainly make your ají amarillo paste from fresh if you can find them (it's quick and easy). I can't find them in the US. You can order the chile paste from Amazon, and often find it in Latin markets.
- garlic
- cumin
- shallot
- chicken broth/stock
- optional - I de-glaze the pan with dry sherry. White wine is another good option. Feel free to use chicken broth.
- optional garnishes - fresh cilantro, lime wedges, crumbled cotija
🔪 Instructions
- Prepare the chicken breasts - Place chicken breast portions between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Pound gently with the meat tenderizer to a fairly even thickness between ¼" and ½". Set aside.
- Prepare the sauce ingredients - Break down the mango, and cut the onion or shallot in chunks. Add both to the bowl of a small food processor along with the ají amarillo paste, salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
- Finish the sauce - Purée the sauce ingredients until very smooth. Check seasoning, and adjust if necessary. Set aside while you cook the chicken.
- Cook the chicken breast - Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, brown both sides of the chicken in a drizzle of neutral oil (like canola or grape seed), being careful to not overcook. Chicken juices should run clear. Set chicken on a paper towel lined plate and cover with foil.
- Sauté the cumin and garlic in the same pan, adding additional oil if needed. De-glaze with sherry, white wine, or chicken broth, scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits. Reduce liquid by about half.
- Stir the mango sauce into the reduced liquid and spice mixture. Thoroughly combine. The sauce should be somewhat thick. If it's too thick, add some broth.
- Bring sauce up to a low boil.
- Add the chicken breast back into the pan, spoon sauce over it. Turn off the heat, and cover until ready to serve (just keep it warm). Don't continue to cook it! Before serving, squeeze half a lime over top. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, and crumbled cotija as desired. Enjoy!
💭 Tips
Make the mango sauce and prepare the chicken breast in advance. The dish comes together in about 10 minutes, making it a great recipe for entertaining.
A good rule of thumb: Use 1 mango per 2 servings, and 6 ounces of chicken breast per serving. Large chicken breasts are often large enough that when pounded, can be cut into 2 portions.
I often have frozen ají amarillo peppers in my freezer, and make this ají amarillo paste rather than using store bought.
❓ FAQ
Is chicken in mango sauce good leftover?
To be perfectly honest? I don't think so. The appeal to this dish is its simple, fresh flavor, and how quickly it comes together. Of course you can re-heat it for lunch the next day, but I try to prepare 1 serving per diner.
🧂 Useful Stuff
These are few items that I recommend that are related to this recipe, and either the same brand or similar to what I use in my own kitchen!
🥗 What to Serve with the Chicken
- cilantro rice
- coconut rice
- red rice
- tomato and tomatillo salad
- Mexican sweet potato salad
- Peruvian quinoa salad
- quinoa a la Mexicana
When summer hits hard (as it certainly has in 2021), we need a few healthy, super quick and easy chicken recipes. This is one of our favorites, and I do hope you'll give it a try!
📖 Recipe
Latin Mango Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 ounces boneless - skinless chicken breast
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil - grape seed or canola
- 1 mango - peeled, seed removed, cut in chunks
- 1 tablespoon ají amarillo paste +/-
- 1 shallot - or ½ red onion, cut in chunks
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic - about 2 cloves
- ½ cup sherry - white wine, or chicken broth (to de-glaze)
- ½ cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken breasts - Place chicken breast portions between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Pound gently with the meat tenderizer to a fairly even thickness between ¼" and ½". Set aside.
- Make the sauce - Add mango, ají amarillo paste, shallot, and sea salt to the food processor. Blend until smooth, and set aside.
- Cook the chicken breast - Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, brown both sides of the chicken in the oil, being careful to not overcook. Set chicken on a paper towel lined plate, and cover with foil.
- Sauté the cumin and garlic in the same pan, adding additional oil if needed. De-glaze with sherry, white wine, or chicken broth, scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits. Reduce liquid by about half.
- Finish the sauce -Stir the mango mixture into the reduced liquid and spice mixture. Thoroughly combine. The sauce should be somewhat thick. If it's too thick, add some broth. Bring sauce up to a low boil.
- Finish and serve - Add the chicken breast back into the pan, spoon sauce over it. Turn off the heat, and cover until ready to serve (just keep it warm). Don't continue to cook it! Before serving, squeeze half a lime over top. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, and crumbled cotija as desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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