Grilled Mango Chicken is a delicious tropical dinner with a dynamo citrus marinade topped with an Easy Mango Salsa for simple spa dining at home.
Bring on the Deliciousness
One bite of the super tender citrus ginger mango chicken and a dollop of mango salsa and you will think you have been teleported to a spa hotel in the tropics. We know that travel is very difficult at the moment.
When you can’t travel, bring the spa travel destination to you. With the mixture of the naturally sweet mango and oranges, sour limes, spicy jalapeños and ginger and savory teriyaki sauce you are going to be in love.
Spa Dining at Home
We think Spa Dining at Home going to be the new trend! With travel suspensions and bikini season right around the corner, many people are going to looking for healthy but very delicious alternatives they can prepare right at home.
Stuck at home and the only exercise you get is running to the refrigerator. Always rushing to eat your meals? These two events paired together are not good for your health. We have been working on being more present in the moment and have been using a Mindfulness Eating Script for Weight Loss to help us along on our journey.
It is time to lick our wounds and get back to business. Life must go on. More than ever, we need to be in the best shape we can be to stay strong, healthy and lean, so we don’t get sick and reduce our risk for comorbidities.
Clean Eating
Eating clean, can be delicious. Our delicious grilled mango chicken has no added refined sugar. This chicken recipe is naturally sweet from fruits. If you use tamari, this recipe is gluten-free and dairy free too. When you top your grilled chicken with our easy mango salsa it is light and refreshing and the perfect spring and summer recipe.
Grilling and Chilling
When Mother Nature is cooperating, we love to take the party and the MESS outside! Our Grilled Mango Chicken can be cooked on the outdoor grill or BBQ. However, if Mother Nature brings rain to the party, you can also use an indoor grill pan or iron skillet in your kitchen to cook your chicken.
Have you noticed, how much cleaner your kitchen is after a night of grilling outdoors vs cooking indoors? If you are looking for more delicious ways to celebrate the grilling season be sure to check out our Summer Grilling and Chilling Recipes. Stay cool when you are out there grilling with one of our Cantaloupe Lime Agua Fresca . If you need something a little stronger, try our Blood Orange Ginger Spritz .
Marinade
Did you know that mangoes can actually tenderize chicken, other poultry and meat? Enzymes in certain fruits can speed up the breakdown of proteins into amino acids. Papaya, kiwifruit, pineapple, fig and mango are a good source of enzymes that can break down meat proteins. This process tenderizes the chicken or other proteins. This mango chicken marinade is fresh, delicious and so easy to prepare.
Best Chicken Marinade
Our quick and easy marinade only needs about 15- 30 minutes of resting time to infuse the flavor and to tenderize the chicken. Perfectly balanced with a handful of ingredients.
- Fresh Ginger
- Garlic – well of course, right?
- Fresh mango – helps tenderize the chicken and is naturally sweet
- Coconut oil for the tropical flavor
- Fresh Orange juice or mandarin orange juice
- Fresh Lime juice
- Lime zest
- White pepper
- Teriyaki sauce or if you need it gluten-free (tamari sauce)
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ'S)
How Long to Marinate Chicken?
As the mango tenderizes the chicken best at room temperature, leave marinade for 15-30 minutes at room temperature. In addition, allowing the chicken to come to room temperature before grilling helps the chicken cook uniformly. Did you know that if you put your poultry, pork or beef on the grill cold right from the refrigerator, you may have uneven cooking? The outside of your chicken might be charred but the inside could still be raw or rare in areas. You never want to be eating undercooked chicken in the USA as it can make you sick secondary to salmonella.
How long to grill chicken breasts?
Depending on the size of your boneless and skinless chicken breasts, it can take approximately 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat. Flip over ½ way through or until you get nice grill marks on both sides. If you know you are going to be running low on time, cut your chicken breasts lengthwise all the way through so they are less thick before you marinade them. Then, they cook in half of the time.
What is the best temperature to grill chicken at?
Our secret to success is to pre-heat our grill to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, we clean the grill with our wire brushes and prepare the grates on the grill with a little oil to prevent sticking. We cook our chicken in direct heat to get delicious grill marks.
How do you know when your chicken breast is done cooking?
Once your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) and has nice grill marks on both sides, your Grilled Mango Chicken breasts are done. Allow your chicken breasts to rest tented under aluminum foil for 5-10 minutes before serving or slicing.
How to keep your chicken breasts from drying out?
Do not be putting salt in the marinade! Full Stop. You see, salt in a marinade can dry out the chicken as it draws out the juices from the meat or chicken. Instead, be sure to season your chicken well with salt and pepper once it hits the grill on both sides. The teriyaki (or tamari sauce) will add flavor to your chicken without drying out your chicken.
Side Dishes to Serve with Grilled Chicken
- Hawaiian Luau Rice
- How to Cook Shishito Peppers on the Grill
- Best Grilled Asparagus
- How to make Bruschetta bread (delicious easy make ahead starter to keep the natives happy while you are grilling)
- Grilled Chili Lime Okra
- Easy Millet Summer Salad
- Summer Salad with Strawberry Rose Dressing
- Don’t forget about dessert with a delicious make ahead Skinny Berry Cheesecake Bars
Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.
Spa Dining at Home is a delicious and healthy way to enjoy the mango season. Stay well and take care!
Grilled Mango Chicken (Spa Dining at Home)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
boneless and skinless or can use tenderloins and increase to 8 (about 1.25 pounds) - 1 inch ginger fresh knob peeled and grated
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil melted or olive oil
- 4 tablespoon orange juice freshly squeezed or mandarin orange juice
- 2 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon white pepper or to taste
- 3 tablespoon teriyaki sauce or tamari for gluten free
- ½ Mango freshly minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Easy Mango Salsa
Instructions
- Prepare and clean your chicken breasts and dry well. If your chicken breasts are really thick and you want them to cook faster, cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise or horizontally so they are thinner and cook faster.
- In a sealable baggie or in a bowl add your chicken, ginger, garlic, coconut oil, orange juice, lime juice, lime zest, white pepper, teriyaki, and mango. Mix well, seal the baggie or cover your bowl with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 15 minutes to 30 minutes at room temperature. It is best not to marinate chicken longer than 30 minutes or they will be overly tenderized by the fruits.
- Preheat your outdoors grill to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C)and allow to preheat for 10-15 minutes. Clean grill and prepare the grill with a little oil to prevent sticking.
- In the meantime, make your Easy Mango Salsa.
- When you are ready to put the chicken breasts on the grill salt and pepper your chicken breasts on both sides. Or season your chicken breasts during the grilling process to taste.
- Place your marinated chicken breasts on your hot and prepared grill. Grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side or a total of about8-10 minutes. (If you have sliced your chicken breasts in half lengthwise then they will take less time to cook maybe about 3 minutes on each side) Turn your chicken breast halfway through the cooking process.
- Your chicken breasts are done cooking when the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breasts and you have nice grill marks. Remove your grilled mango chicken breasts for the grill.Tent with aluminum foil for about 5-10 minutes to rest before serving or slicing.
- Top with a large dollop of easy mango salsa and enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
This is one chicken dinner my whole family will love. I love your amazing homemade marinade and your fresh mango salsa recipe is simply tantalizing!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Heidi. We are loving the fresh mango season. The sweetness of the mango paired with the savory chicken is a delicious pairing.