Mango Chile Chicken (Dairy Free) + Video - Cotter Crunch (2024)

Mango chile chicken bowls are healthy and delicious, with sweet and zesty flavor. Make this chicken recipe in an oven or on a grill – either way, it’s an easy, gluten free, dairy free meal, and we have a paleo option, too!

Hey y’all! Let’s do a Cotter cheer because barbecue season is here! I want to eat all the grilled fish, chicken, and burgers all summer long – who’s with me?

Yes corny cotter moment at it’s finest. OK, maybe it’ll be baked salmon or air fryer chicken tenders a couple of nights a week. After all, it’s likely to rain on our grilling parade now and then… haha.

But are you in search for the perfect marinated chicken recipe? One that you can make over and over again and never grow old of it?! If so, THIS chicken recipe is for you!

Mango Chile Chicken Bowls

This recipe is super easy to make and there are plenty of ways to customize it, too. Let me show you!

• Grilled or baked chicken – First of all, the chicken is delicious grilled but if you aren’t in the mood to barbecue, you can cook it in the oven. I have instructions below for you to make it either way.
• Bowls or plates– I like to serve the chicken in bowls over rice or cauliflower rice. This way, you can pop it into a meal prep container and you’ve got a meal ready for a lunch box. Plating the meal is perfectly acceptable though.
• Spice adjustable– Using the same spices I do gives the dish a sweet and spicy flavor. It’s not terribly spicy at all – I think zesty is a better word for it. If you want to add more heat to the dish, you can use hotter chile peppers or chile paste.

This delicious chicken dinner is SUPER healthy, too. Gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, lower carb, AND paleo friendly! INGREDIENTS + SUBSTITUTIONS

Aside from the chicken, all of the ingredients here are for the chicken marinade, and it couldn’t be any easier to make.

• boneless skinless chicken breasts – Boneless skinless chicken thighs are fine, too.
• diced mango– Be sure to save some additional mango to serve with the bowls. Oh, and if mango isn’t your favorite, pineapple is also delicious in this marinade!

Also, depending on the time of year that you make the recipe, fresh mango may be difficult to find. You can definitely use canned mango (in its natural juice) if needed.

• chili sauce – Use your favorite hot sauce; I like sriracha.
• orange juice and lime juice – Squeezing the juice fresh will give you more nutrients than using a juice concentrate.
• honey or agave nectar
• salt and black pepper
• minced garlic
• chopped red onion or shallot
• dry white wine – the alcohol in the wine will cook away, but if you want a family-friendly substitute, you can use 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• olive oil or any neutral flavor oil. Avocado oil is a great substitute.
• toppings for garnish – Cilantro, lime wedges, crushed black pepper and sea salt

How to make it

Grab a blender or a food processor, because a couple of minutes of blending the ingredients together and the marinade will be ready to use!

1. Prep the ingredients.Don’t forget to peel the mango and remove the pit. Pat the chicken breasts dry and set them into a glass baking dish or an extra large Ziploc bag.
2. Make the chicken marinade. Blend all of the ingredients on high, or pulse until you have a smooth marinade. It should be a nice tropical orange color. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade and pour the rest into the baking dish or bag with the chicken.

3. Marinate the chicken in your refrigerator.Chicken really only needs an hour to marinate but if you want to do this step ahead, it can stay in the marinade for up to 24 hours.
4. Grill or bake.

FOR THE GRILL

If grilling, set your grill to medium-high. Place the chicken on the grill and brush it with the reserved marinade.

Cook it for 20 minutes or so, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 163 F. or is no longer pink on the inside. Feel free to grill extra mango slices too!

FOR THE OVEN

Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the reserved mango chile chicken marinade over the top.

Bake at 425 F. for 25 to 30 minutes. Check for doneness at 25 minutes.

To caramelize the marinade, I like to broil the chicken for the final minute of cooking time.

Here’s a quick 1-MINUTE VIDEO to show you how to make this MANGO MARINATED CHICKEN!

Now, what to serve with this chicken? Oh the possibilities are endless!

Serving suggestions

Serve with cooked rice or cauliflower rice, slices of grilled or fresh mango, and some extra sauce and/or veggies!

If you like fried rice, my recipe for cauliflower pineapple fried rice is also a great option. Oh and save some mango for the bowls. It’s super delicious with the chicken and rice (or riced veggiesif you are paleo).

Also, like I mentioned earlier it has a sweet and spicy (or zesty) kick you’ll love!

If you are looking for more of a savory marinated chicken, I highly recommend Healthy Seasonal’s Garlic Herb Marinated Chicken recipe!

Print

This is an updated post, originally published on April 24, 2016. The recipe was retested and the photos and video are new.

Okay friends, let me know if you give this a whirl! We’ve had several of our Pinterest followers make it on after we shared it on pinterest stories.

And I think you’ll want to follow along with the crowd, just sayin’…

Cheers, LC