This Paleo Chicken with Mango Salsa is the EASIEST recipe. It’s bright, fresh, and can be thrown together so fast. Oh, and it’s incredibly delicious.
It’s 54 degrees in England this week…in May. And it’s taking everything in me to not die of jealousy over the 85+ degree weather happening back in my hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania. And since I can’t make the sunshine come out or the temperature increase out of sheer will, I figured I’d try to make a sunshine meal instead. And guys, this Paleo Chicken with Mango Salsa DELIVERS.
This meal is bright, fresh + comes together with only a handful of fresh ingredients. It’s the warm weather dinner that you can whip up on a grill (if you have one) + eat with friends over cold drinks long into the evening. But it’s also the meal that you can enjoy at home alone…and still feel all of that same summer joy.
Fruit + meat paired together might still seem like a strange combination to some of you, but TRUST ME. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.
What you’ll need for the Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa
The ingredients for this dish are incredibly simple + all whole foods. There are a few things that you can switch out based on what you have + I’ll make sure to note them below:
- chicken: so, the good news is that you can really actually use ANY meat. This salsa is divine on chicken, fish, shrimp, pork or even steak, so do whatever you have!
- limes: we’ll be using limes in both the marinade for the chicken and in the salsa dressing.
- mango: pineapple or peaches would also be so delish here!
- red onion
- red chili pepper: I love a little spice in this recipe, but if that’s not your thing, you could totally just use a regular red pepper!
- cilantro: I know this is a love or hate ingredient, so feel free to use parsley if you have to!
- salt + pepper: seasoning makes all food taste better, so we’re using it here!
Based on the above ingredient list, this recipe is Whole30 approved, Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free and even Refined Sugar-Free, so this paleo chicken with mango salsa can be enjoyed by literally any one on any diet!
Putting the meal together
My favorite way to start preparing this meal is by doing a mini-marinade on the chicken! As it’s written in the recipe, we’re going to soak the chicken in some lime juice + salt while we prep the mango salsa. But, if you’re really in a rush, you can totally skip this step + just move on to the rest of the recipe. But if you have the time, the extra step will help tenderize the chicken + add some extra zing!
Making the mango salsa is literally the simplest thing. The hardest part is peeling + cutting the mango, which you can honestly skip if you want to buy some store-bought diced mango. But if you’re really in it, here are some tips on how to prep your mango yourself!
Once you have a bowl of diced mango, however you get there, it’s as simple as adding the other ingredients and tossing! The mango salsa is sweet from the mango, sharp from the lime juice, a bit spicy from the pepper + with a nice bite from the red onion. Cilantro is the perfect finish. And over the chicken? Oh my heavens.
Depending on your dietary preferences, there are all sorts of ways to make this into a more complete meal. Here are a few of my fave’s:
- served over the best salad ever
- with a side of white rice or cauliflower rice
- with simple roasted potatoes
There really isn’t a wrong way to enjoy this meal, so feel free to make it work for you and your family.
You can totally prep the ingredients for this meal in advance + allow the chicken to sit in the lime juice and the completed salsa to chill overnight in the fridge. The flavors will only get more intense. Once you’re ready to eat, just cook up the chicken + serve! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days, although I imagine they won’t last that long 😉
This is a meal that you absolutely HAVE to try. I promise that you’re going to love it just as much as I do + when you do give it a try, please pop back + let me know what you think in the comments below! It makes my day + helps other people find my delicious recipes. Oh! And we hang out a lot over on instagram too, so pop on over.
P.S. if you’re into this meal, you have to try these other summer treats!
Paleo Soft-baked Lemon Cookies
Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Chicken Salad
Easy Paleo Greek Chicken
Paleo Chicken with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 2 limes
- salt + pepper to taste
Mango Salsa
- 2 mangoes, diced
- 1/2 large red onion, minced
- 1 red chili pepper, minced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Start by placing the chicken into a container or bowl + squeeze the lime juice over the top. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and leave to sit while making the salsa!
- To make the salsa, simply mix the diced mango, onion, pepper, and cilantro in a medium-sized bowl. Squeeze over the lime juice, season with salt + mix!
- To cook the chicken, you can grill or sautee or roast it! I prefer to toss it into a 400f (200c) oven for 20 minutes. It may take more or less time depending on the thickness of your chicken! However, you choose to cook your chicken, ensure that it reaches 165f internally to ensure it's cooked!
- Leave the chicken to rest for 5 minutes after cooking before plating + serving with big scoops of the delicious mango salsa over the top of the chicken.
