Looking for a quick and healthy recipe that’s sure to impress? Look no further than this Mango Chicken Recipe! Not only is it Whole30 and Paleo-friendly, but it’s also ready in just 30 minutes.
All I’ve been craving lately is this crispy-crunchy chicken I’ve made a billion times before.
Like I just can’t stop obsessive-person thinking about the CRUNCH. The CRUNCH that is so crunch-tactic that you can HEAR it as your teeth nibble town into tender chicken and your taste buds get PUNCHED in their tiny little faces with a burst of juicy-fresh mango sweetness and little pops of spicy habanero pepper.
As I discovered making Mango Curry Homemade BBQ Sauce, slow cooker mango chicken and sweet potato bowls, AND the grilled mango chicken and cauliflower rice wrap, chicken + mango = LOVE.
Perfect for a casual night in with friends or a family dinner, Mango Chicken is a dish that’s sure to satisfy everyone’s tastebuds. No takeout menus required.
Why You’ll Love Mango Chicken
- This recipe is approved for you brave souls who need some whole30 dinners.
- Eating paleo? This Mango Chicken recipe is approved for you too.
- Mango Chicken is ready to eat in 30 minutes, making it the perfect meal to make on busy weeknights.
- Leftovers are easy to store and quick to reheat (if you have any left, that is), so you can use Mango Chicken as a meal-prepping recipe.
The Best Sides for Mango Chicken
One of the best sides to make with Mango Chicken is cauliflower rice. Not only is cauliflower rice quick and easy to make (follow my easy guide on how to cook cauliflower rice), but it’s also a great option if you want to feel like you’re eating takeout.
Roasted or grilled vegetables are another tasty side dish to serve with Mango Chicken. You can use leftover sauce to drizzle over your vegetables or season with lime, ginger, and cilantro for an extra boost of flavor.
Ingredients
For The Sauce:
- 2 1/2 tsp Coconut oil divided
- 1 1/2 tsp Fresh ginger minced
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp Habanero pepper minced
- 3/4 Cup Orange Mango or Mango, Juice (100% pure juice)
- 1/2 Tbsp Coconut aminos
- 1 tsp Tapioca flour
For The Chicken:
- 3 Tbsp Tapioca flour
- 8 oz Chicken breast patted dry and cut into one-inch cubes
- Salt + Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil
For Garnish:
- 1/2 a Large mango cut into cubes
- Roughly chopped cilantro
- Diced Green Onion
- Toasted sesame seeds
How to Make Mango Chicken
Melt
In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 tsp of the coconut oil for the sauce. Add in the ginger, garlic, and habanero pepper and cook until fragrant. Add in the remaining coconut oil, juice, and coconut aminos. Raise the temperature to high heat and bring it to a boil.
Whisk
Place the tapioca flour in a small bowl. Add 2 tsp of it to the bowl with the tapioca flour and whisk until smooth. While stirring constantly, pour the tapioca mixture into the sauce and boil for 2 minutes.
Reduce Heat
After the sauce has boiled, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces by about 1/4 and becomes shiny, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to let it cool and thicken while you make the chicken.
Place the tapioca flour into a large Ziploc bag and season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken into the bag and shake around until evenly coated in the flour.
Fry
Heat 1 Tbsp of the coconut oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Place half of the chicken into the pan — just be careful not to overcrowd it! Cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and repeat.
Toss
Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and blot off excess oil. Repeat with the remaining chicken. If the chicken starts cooking too fast, turn the heat down a little bit. Finally, toss the chicken and mango cubes into the sauce until evenly coated.
The Best substitutions for coconut oil
For those of you on Weight Watchers, cooking with coconut oil costs a lot of points. 1 tablespoon is 4 points, whereas cooking with olive or avocado oil is only 1 point.
To still get the same coconut flavor, though, there are a few different options to consider. You can add coconut flakes as a garnish to your dish and mix the flakes into your bowl.
Or, you can add coconut extract. Use 1 teaspoon with 2 teaspoons of your cooking oil in the rice, chicken, and sauce. The best part? Extract costs zero Weight Watchers points.
How to Store leftover mango Chicken
Got leftovers? No problem. Place the meat in an airtight container with a lid to keep your leftover mago chicken fresh and tasty. If you’re going to eat the chicken in the next few days (3 max), you can keep your leftovers in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze your leftover mango chicken for up to 3 months.
To reheat, just microwave the dish for 2 – 3 minutes or until the chicken has re-heated all the way through.
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 2 1/2 tsps Coconut oil divided
- 1 1/2 tsp Fresh ginger minced
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp Habanero pepper minced
- 3/4 Cup Orange Mango or Mango, Juice (100% pure juice)
- 1/2 Tbsp Coconut aminos
- 1 tsp Tapioca flour
For the chicken:
- 3 Tbsp Tapioca flour
- 8 oz Chicken breast patted dry and cut into one-inch cubes
- Salt + Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil
For the cauliflower rice:
- 3 Cups Cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tsp Coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp Unsweetened coconut flakes
For garnish:
- 1/2 a Large mango cut into cubes
- Roughly chopped cilantro
- Diced Green Onion
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 tsps of the coconut oil for the sauce. Add in the ginger,garlic and habanero pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add in the remaining coconut oil, juice and coconut aminos. Raise the temperature to high heat and bring to a boil. Additionally, place the tapioca flour in a small bowl.
- Once the liquid comes to a boil, add 2 tsps of it to the bowl with the tapioca flour and whisk until smooth. While stirring constantly, pour the tapioca mixture into the sauce and boil for 2 minutes.
- After the sauce as boiled, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces by about 1/4 and becomes shiny, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to let it cool and thicken while you make the chicken.
- Place the tapioca flour into a large ziploc bag and season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken into the bag and shake around until evenly coated in the flour.
- In a medium pan, heat 1 Tbsp of the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Place half of the chicken into the pan, being careful not to crowd it, and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and repeat. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and blot off an excess oil. Repeat with the remaining chicken. If the chicken starts cooking too fast, turn the heat down a little bit.
- While the chicken cooks, place the cauliflower into a large food processor and process until broken down and “rice-like”
- heat the 2 tsps of coconut oil up in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the cauliflower and coconut flakes. Cook until lightly golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 2-4 minutes. *
- Transfer the chicken and mango cubes into the bowl with the sauce and toss until evenly coated.
- Divide the chicken and cauliflower between two plates and garnish with cilantro, green onion and sesame seeds.
- DEVOUR
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
Cait says
This looks amazing! Unfortunately, it comes up as 16 points on the new WW Freestyle points 🙁 so I’m going to have to skip the coconut cauliflower. But I’m excited to try the chicken! Thank you for sharing!
Taylor Kiser says
Hope you love it! 🙂
Rebecca says
Hey! So I tried this recipe and it’s delicious!!
The only issue I encountered was the chicken not being crispy. The tapioca flour just became too gummy and a bit of a mess.
Can I avoid the gumminess? Do I just need a better (and safe) nonstick pan?
Thank you!
Taylor Kiser says
Hi, Rebecca! So glad you loved it! I would say to cook your chicken in smaller batches so the pan isn’t overcrowded. That should help it to get crispy and avoid the gumminess.
Kait B says
This is really good, my whole family loves it but no way does it take 30 mins to prep/cook. It takes me at least an hour and clean up is intense too but it’s worth it occasionally.
Taylor Kiser says
Glad you and your family enjoyed this!
Daniela says
Just writing to say that I do this recipe quite often. My husband and my son love it. Try it, you will love it
Taylor Kiser says
Thank you so much Daniela! So glad to hear this!
Claire cummings says
Maybe it was user error but this was a complete disaster from start to finish. The instructions were not very clear. The texture came out gritty, like dirt. I feel terrible but I am going to throw it all in the trash. What a waste.
Taylor Kiser says
Hi Claire! I’m sorry you had trouble with the recipe. Many have made it and loved it. I would say to cook your chicken in smaller batches so the pan isn’t overcrowded. That should help it to get crispy and avoid the gritty texture you experienced. Hope this helps! 🙂