This chicken and mango salad recipe is the perfect combination of sweet fruit with savory veggies and grilled protein. Serve this as a main dish for a light dinner or an easy lunch. This recipe includes grilled or pan fried chicken as a main component, but you can leave it out to make a vegan version, or to use it as a side dish.
I love salads. They are my go to lunch most days. I love how easy they are to make, and how much color and flavor there is in one dish. It's such an easy way to make sure you eat enough fruit and veggies! There are many salad recipes on the blog, and if you like this recipe, I'm sure you'll love my Greek pasta salad with feta and spinach or Halloumi and butternut squash salad too. Chicken and mango salad definitely tastes like summer to me. It might be all the bright colors, or the sweet mango with the grilled meat and crunchy veg, but it's definitely got a taste of sunshine.
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What do you need to make a great mango salad?
- Mango
- Chicken
- Red onion
- Watercress (or other leafy green)
- Rocket (US: Arugula)
- Red pepper
- Avocado
How do you make this chicken and mango salad?
First, cook the chicken. You can add it to the grill, or pan fry it with some olive oil. I prefer to cook chicken fillets whole and then cut them into smaller pieces to add to the salad. You can cut the chicken before cooking, but cooking the fillets whole preserves more liquid, and makes for juicy, tender chicken meat.
After the chicken is cooked, leave it to cool for a few minutes, and prepare the rest of the salad in a salad bowl or on a serving platter. Add watercress and rocket, or your choice of leafy greens. Finely chop red onion, and dice mango, avocado and red pepper. Plate it in layers, or use salad servers to combine all the ingredients. Finally, add the chicken, and optionally, top with a fitting dressing. The flavors go really well with a lemon pepper vinaigrette.
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Which dishes go well with mango salad?
Served as a main course, I like to have this salad with a nice dressing. You could also serve it with some nice crusty bread.
If you want to serve this as a side dish, try it with slow cooker apricot chicken or on pulled chicken thigh tacos. I also think this would be great on top of avocado toast.. yum!
Tips and substitutes
Make it vegan - Leave out the chicken and the dish is dairy free, egg free and vegan friendly!
Omit ingredients - If there is a specific ingredient you don't have available, or don't like, you can leave it out and the mango salad will still be delicious.
Add ingredients - Feel free to add your favorite veg to this salad! I think olives, mozzarella, tomatoes, cucumber, chopped basil, fresh mint, peaches, blueberries and chickpeas would be great additions.
Recipe
Chicken and mango salad
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 red pepper
- 2 chicken fillets
- 1 mango
- ½ red onion
- handful watercress
- handful rocket
Herbs
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
Cook the chicken
- Set a pan to medium high heat. Add some oil or non stick spray, and add the chicken fillets.
- Cook for a few minutes until golden, then turn. Chicken cooks in 5-10 minutes. Insert a skewer in the thick parts of the fillets to make sure that the juices run clear - this means it's done.
- Leave the chicken to cook down slightly while assembling the salad.
Assemble the salad
- Dice red onion, mango, avocado and red pepper.
- Add to a serving platter or salad bowl along with a few handfuls of watercress and rocket.
- When the chicken has slightly cooled down, dice it and add to the salad.
- Optionally, add dressing, and serve.
Anonymous
What a beautiful salad, and a delicious combination of flavors. This is one you can definitely "eat with your eyes." Arugula is my favorite salad green!
Tonje
I love eating pretty food! I'm glad you like it 🙂
Alison
Love the colors in this salad. It's so refreshing.
Tonje
Happy to hear that you like it!
Chris Collins
What a gorgeously simple and delicious salad! Can't wait to give it a try 🙂
Tonje
I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Adrianne
Wow, this is a fabulous looking salad!! I love the combination of chicken and mango. It looks so fresh and healthy too. YUM!!
Tonje
I love it too. I'm glad you like it!
Adriana
I love the mango avocado combination creamy and sweet. Salads are my favorite thing to make.
Tonje
Yeah the flavors so great together!