Mango and coconut just sing Spring to me! The fresh flavours and beautiful colours brighten up any salad.
Chicken breast is a lean and easily adaptable protein for any salad. In this mango coconut chili chicken salad, we marinate it and skewer it to cook through without drying out or becoming tough.
The chicken stays nice and juicy and is packed full of bright flavours.
I’m not sure about you, but the Spring always inspires me to switch from heavy comfort foods, roasted veggies, and warming soups to bright, crisp and zesty meals.
This salad was born out that wish for bright, sunny days, even if I am still stuck with a cold and frosty climate.
Prepping Mango Coconut Chili Chicken Salad
Chicken breast can tend to end up on the dry, tasteless side. Choosing skin on and bone in can help but it also adds cooking time and preparation that many like to avoid.
Here, the chicken is marinated in a creamy, fragrant coconut, lime, ginger, and spice marinade that creates a flavour burst while keeping the chicken moist during cooking.
Make sure you pre-soak your skewers if necessary.
Chop your chicken breast into large chunks. Mix your marinade in a large and add chicken. Let this sit for as long as you have time for! 2 hours or overnight for maximum flavour boost💯 🚀.
Ingredients for Mango Coconut Chili Chicken Marinade:
To a large bowl add:
- 1 lb chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts, chunked
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- ground pepper to taste
After your chicken is ready, you will have to get messy! Thread your chunks onto skewers. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
You can baste your chicken in leftover marinade every 10 minutes if desired.
When your chicken is cooked and cooled, pile it on top of buttery boston lettuce (or use green leaf or romaine), sugar snap peas, red pepper and cucumber.
Feel free to use any veggies you think would go! I also added chunks of juicy mango.
Read This: Simple Meal Prep Lunch Recipes You Can Make in 15 Minutes or Less!
Also try:
Mini Meatloaf Meal Prep with Sheet Pan Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans
Maple Bourbon BBQ Chicken Meal Prep
Whole Rotisserie Chicken in the Instant Pot
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti Squash (Instant Pot option)
Teriyaki Shrimp Bowls with Coconut Rice and Grilled Veggies and Pineapple.
Don't Forget the Dressing!
This zingy ultra refreshing dressing is right on point for this bright and colourful mango coconut chicken chili salad. It compliments the sweet heat of the chicken and crunchy veggies perfectly.
Just blend mango, cilantro, red chili flakes, some cayenne (if you like heat!), a bit of red wine vinegar, sea salt, and oil.
- 1 cup mango, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp red chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp cayenne, ground
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil, or avocado oil
This dressing also is lovely on fish!
For more amazing salad dressings, check out this list of 45 healthy homemade ones!
For a Fit Food Grocery List, see my Free Resource Library
Mango Coconut Chili Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Chicken Skewers
- 1 lb chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts chunked
- 1 lime juiced and zested
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- ground pepper to taste
- fresh cilantro to garnish
For the Salad
- 1 head boston lettuce, washed and torn or green leaf or romaine
- 1 red bell pepper, chunked
- 1 cucumber, chunked
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
- 1.5 cups mango, chunked can be from frozen and thawed
For the Mango Cilantro Dressing
- 1 cup mango, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp red chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp cayenne, ground
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil, or avocado oil
Instructions
For the chicken
- Whisk together coconut milk, cumin, coriander, brown sugar, garlic powder, chili flakes, shallots, curry powder, soy sauce, ginger, lime juice and zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Add chunked chicken breast to bowl, submerge in the mixture and marinate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Remove chicken after marinating and thread on pre-soaked or metal skewers
- Place chicken on foil-lined baking sheet and cook at 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
For the salad assemblage
- Place lettuce and all veggies and mango in meal prep containers, top with cooled chicken skewers.
For the dressing
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pack separately and add to salad when about to eat! Can also be used to top chicken or fish!
Nutrition
It’s so colourful and so worth it for the dressing alone, never mind how good the chicken is 😍 super tasty, great recipe!
Yes! The dressing is one of the best parts. So flavourful 🙂 Thank you!
Looks delicious! Will try it out! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Such a creative meal idea. 🙂
Thank you! I like a lot of variety 🙂
I’ve never skewered chicken and cooked it in the over before! This looks delicious!
It’s a great way to cook chicken in pieces for salads or lunch boxes! You can keep it moist by basting it as well. 🙂
Oh yum!! I love easy meal prep recipes 🙂 This looks so tasty. Thanks for sharing!
This is a totally different chicken recipe from what I have ever seen. Going to get ingredients to try it out.
I hope you enjoy!
Hummm, this looks yummy! If I was to try it with a fish, which one would you recommend I use?
Any white fish should work! Even salmon would be good. I think haddock or sole would work well. Tuna steak or Mahi Mahi would be good too.