This Very Mango Habanero Chicken is sweet and spicy 🌶️ with that amazingly delicate mango flavor. It’s a healthy chicken recipe that can be made into a fabulous low-carb dinner! I love it when the kids don’t know how healthy the meal is 😆.
With this Very Mango Habanero chicken recipe, I wanted to make sure the Mango stood out more than anything. If you relate this recipe to orange chicken, I would say that is about right, but it’s NOT fried; it’s grilled, making for a juicy chicken that is healthier than ever! Pair this with some charred broccolini and basmati rice, and you have a new staple recipe for the house!
How to make Very Mango Habanero Chicken
This recipe is made quickly because it allows you to do many tasks simultaneously. Let’s start with the rice (so it’s done by the time your chicken is). Use a rice cooker (my favorite here) or in a pot (like I do here) and have all the ingredients ready to go. For example, dice up the mango and make the sauce while cooking the chicken. Luckily, this chicken is just a basic grilled chicken with salt and pepper. The key is to flip the chicken when the time is right. (Do the squeeze test or cut test to look inside—see the video below)
Step 1-get ready
Bring all the ingredients out, including a small saucepan and a cast iron or grill for the chicken. Trim the fat off the chicken. Then, to get started, dice up your mangos and habanero. Place in a bowl for ease, or leave on the cutting board if saving dishes.
Step 2-cook the chicken
Grab a large cast iron or grill, oil it, and turn the heat on medium. Cook both sides until done. Always check the center of the thigh with a probe. Technically, the inside must be 145 degrees if a thermometer is used. I usually make a small slice of the meat to check for pinkness. If the outside is too crispy and the inside is too pink, turn your heat down and cook low and slow.
CHEF’S TRICK! PLACE A COOKIE SHEET LAYING ON THE CAST IRON TO KEEP THE HEAT INSIDE THE PAN. THIS HELPS THE CHICKEN COOK FASTER AND WITH THE MOISTURE OF THE STEAM 🙂
Start cooking the sides
Get the rice ready or the side of your choice.
If you are making the charred broccolini, add it to the pan when the chicken is done. Use the grease from the chicken and a spray or drizzle of oil, plus salt and pepper, then flip as the green becomes brighter. It cooks in about 5 minutes.
Step 3-cook the Very Mango habanero Sauce
While your chicken is cooking, turn the small saucepan on medium-low heat. Add mangos, habaneros, paprika, water, salt and pepper. Stir well. Give it 5 minutes with occasional stirring; it will cook down like a chunky jelly. Use your immersion blender or food processor to purée it. Add water if it is too thick.
Step 4- add the sauce
Finish cooking your chicken and put it to the side. When your mango sauce is done, dunk them in the sauce, tap the side to get it evenly coated, and put them on a plate to eat. NOTE: When your chicken is done, use the grease from the chicken to braise some broccolini. YUM!! Perfect pair!
Chef’s Notes:
Want to make it spicier? For HOT heat, use 2 habaneros for 2 mangoes (1:1 ratio), or to make mild, use 1/2 a habanero for 2 mangoes; medium heat (which is in the recipe) is 2 mangoes to 1 habanero.
Want to make it Mango-ier? I love the sweetness, too! You can add freeze-dried mangoes or fresh ones to add that mango flavor. The freeze-dried Mangoes help keep the bulk of so much sauce down, as to where you may end up with more sauce than I know what to do with 🙂
Want juicy chicken skills? I recommend medium-low heat with a cast iron pan; oil the pan well and add salt and pepper to the bottom of the pan, then add thin pieces of fresh chicken. Please wait until you see white on the edges, flip to the other side, and leave it until it’s done. It might kill you to leave it on one side for so long, but trust me, it works! Leaving the chicken on a side fully makes for a perfect outer crust with a gentle and juicy interior. YUM!!! Worth the wait!!
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How-to-make video of a Mango Chicken
Side recommendations for Very Mango Habanero Chicken
- I highly recommend Basmati Rice— it’s flakey and perfect for soaking up the mango juices 🤤
- charred broccolini
- roasted cauliflower (you could even make this sauce to coat a roasted whole cauliflower 🤤!)
- mashed potatoes (either plain butter or garlic)
- a fat glass of Chardonnay or White wine (white levels out the habanero)
- Or a simple salad
You must check it out!
I recently posted a much-loved Homemade Pad Thai and Greek Gryos. I can’t tell you which one is better. It’s like picking a favorite child!!
For the summertime —I recommend making some big blue ice cream (super easy and made with Big Red Coke products) and summertime Keto Spaghetti Squash (a light dinner but not light on flavor!). Then, there are those Jalapeño Margaritas, omg!!
Yours truly,
Lisa-loo-whoo
The recipe card
Very Mango Habanero Chicken
Sweet and spicy sauce with tender chicken.
6
servings10
minutes10
minutesIngredients
4-6 Large 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp 1 vegetable oil
2 Large 2 Mangos, peeled, diced
1 Large 1 Habenero
1 Tsp 1 paprika
3 Cups 3 water
1 Pinch 1 salt and pepper
1 Cup 1 Freeze-dried mangos, chopped (optional)
1/2 1 1/2 whole lemon, squeezed
Directions
- Get ingredients, a small saucepan, and a cast iron or grill for the chicken. Trim fat off the chicken. Dice up your mangos and habanero to get things started.
Get the rice ready or the side of your choice. Have it cooking while making the chicken. - Oil it with your cast iron or grill and turn the heat to medium. Cook both sides until done. Always check the center of the thigh with a probe. It has to be 145 degrees before it’s cooked. If the outside is too crispy and the inside is too pink, turn your heat down and cook low and slow.
- While your chicken is cooking, turn the small saucepan on medium-low heat. Add diced mangos, diced habaneros, paprika, water, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Give it 5 minutes with occasional stirring; it will cook down like a chunky jelly. Use your immersion blender or food processor to purée it. Add water if it is too thick.
(If you are making the charred broccolini, add it to the pan when the chicken is done. Use the grease from the chicken and a spray or drizzle of oil, plus salt and pepper, then flip as the green becomes brighter. It cooks in about 5 minutes.) - Finish cooking your chicken and put it to the side. When your mango sauce is done, dunk them in the sauce, tap the side of the bowl to get it evenly coated, and put them on a plate to eat. NOTE: When your chicken is done, use the grease from the chicken to braise some broccolini. YUM!! Perfect pain!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Want to make spicier? For HOT heat use 2 habaneros for 2 mangoes (1:1 ratio) or to make mild use 1/2 a habenero for 2 mangoes; Medium heat (which is in the recipe) is 2 mangoes to 1 habanero.
- Want juicy chicken skills? I recommend medium low heat with a cast iron pan, oil the pan well and add salt and pepper to the pan, then add thin pieces of fresh chicken. Try to wait until you see white on the edges, then flip to the other side and leaving it there until it’s done. It might kill you to leave it on one side for so long, but trust me, it works! Leaving the chicken on a side fully makes for a perfect outer crust, with a gentle and juicy interior. YUM!!! Worth the wait!!