This chicken salad seems to take on a summer vibe, but I can eat it every day, if I can get hold of a mango. The chicken is skinless and boneless, which makes it healthier and easier to handle. And the dressing star, mango, doesn’t have to be spot on. Sometimes I think an imperfect one, such as having a large seed (meaning less flesh), or being less sweet, is an ideal candidate to make it into a dressing. Who doesn’t want to enjoy a perfectly ripe and juicy mango on its own?
I find myself craving salad quite often lately. The love seed is not coming from any restaurant which usually serves Caesar or slaw or any leafy greens, but from various cookbooks. There is even a salad matrix in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, which I find very useful. From there, I discovered many advantages of making and eating a salad:
- Quick to make: Many leaves are washed and ready to eat. The only thing that requires cooking is the protein — a big thumbs up in hot summer and on any lazy days!
- Versatile: Salad allows us to be flexible. Ingredients? There is (almost) no right or wrong. Throw in some grains and you’ll have a proper and filling meal.
- Your body loves it: You know it, right?
- Salad doesn’t have to be cold: I’ve had icy cold salad before, probably due to a wrong choice of restaurant. But warm salad really makes a difference to an Asian appetite — think of a piece of nicely seared chicken with roasted vegetables and crunchy juicy lettuce.
More Salad Recipes
If you like salad, why not try these also?
- Upscale & Easy Salad: Avocado, Beetroot, and Blood Orange
- Tuna Poke Bowl Made Easier
- Brighten up! Basic Red Cabbage Slaw (No Mayo)
- Salmon and Beetroot Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Heritage Tomato Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette
- Summer Avocado Salad: Citrus, Beetroot and Sardine
- Roasted Peppers with Preserved Lemon and Butter Beans
- Moroccan Mezze Recipe: Courgette and Egg Salad with Cumin
- Wakame Seaweed and Bean Sprouts Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas (Easy and Refreshing!)
Chicken Salad with Mango Dressing Recipe
Choose any protein you want. Prawns is a perfect match with mango, too! No lamb’s lettuce? Rockets is another great option. Feel free to mix and match!
Ingredients
Serve 2 as a starter, or 1 as a main
- 2 small chicken thighs (skinless & boneless)
- ½ mango
- 1 handful lamb lettuce
- a small wedge of red onion
- lemon juice to macerate
- 30 g bulgur wheat (or other grains)
- a few ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
- a few exotic mushrooms
For the Mango Dressing
- mango bits from above
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ fresh red chilli
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
- salt and pepper
How to Make
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper for at least 30 minutes; slice the red onion and soak in some lemon juice to macerate.
- Cook the bulgur wheat as per packet’s instructions, perhaps with broth for a richer flavour.
- Cut the mango into cubes. For the edges and all the bits, finely chop and place in a jar for dressing making.
- Continue with the dressing. Deseed the red chilli and finely chop it. Chop the coriander as well. Combine everything into the jar, close the lid, and shake vigorously to encourage emulsification. Set aside.
- Heat a little oil in a pan and cook the chicken over medium-high heat until both sides are nicely browned and cooked through. In between, throw in the mushrooms to quickly cook for 2 minutes or so.
- Assemble everything on a plate and spoon over the mango dressing.
