Mango Chicken

OK, the long-awaited mango chicken recipe.

Ooh.

Aah.

Yes?

Initially, I was inspired by the jeweled tones of the mango chicken with green beans and red bell peppers I saw on Biggest Menu. And while mango chicken with just plain old chicken and mangoes tasted fine, it didn't look nearly as pretty as it could have. It took me nine months later. Well, I had to wait for mangoes to come into season again.


Since mangoes pack plenty of flavor, I kept the seasoning of the chicken to just a few dashes of fish sauce. If you don't like fish sauce, use soy sauce or just add a few pinches of salt. Go light because you don't want to overwhelm the flavor of the mangoes. The red and green bell peppers are just for color. No alliums as I think either garlic or onions would be way too overpowering for this. Perhaps some minced ginger for next time though?  


Mango Chicken

You'll need:
1 chicken breast or thigh filet, cut into strips
1 or 2 mangoes, cut into strips crosswise
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips crosswise
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips crosswise

A few dashes of fish sauce or soy sauce, or a few pinches of salt

Optional: A dash of hsiao xing rice wine if you'd like.

I stripped the meat off two chicken thighs to yield a small amount of meat. You can use a boneless chicken breast or thigh, cut into strips. Add a few dashes of fish sauce or soy sauce or a few pinches of salt, a small dash of hsiao xing rice wine if you wish. Mix, and set aside to marinate.

Cut mangoes into strips crosswise. If you don't know how, I posted directions on how to peel and cut mangoes. I used two ataulfo mangoes, which are slightly smaller than the size of my palm. If you're using bigger mangoes, you probably only need one. Or two, if you're a big mango freak. I began cutting the bell peppers into strips, but realized they look much prettier crosswise so you can see the ridges. That's just personal preference. Anyway, so now that your chicken, mangoes, and bell peppers are ready, it's time to begin cooking.
 

In a cast iron frying pan, sauce pan, what have you, on high heat, drizzle a bit of oil and saute the chicken strips. I guess I should have taken a picture of the cooked chicken, but looking at raw meat won't kill you. Let the chicken cook, then flip, and saute lightly until slightly charred.


Then add the mangoes. Don't go about stirring like mad. Just let them fry up a little so they can slightly char and release their juices. You don't want to make the mangoes mushy.


Then add in the sliced bell peppers and saute again.


That's it. Ta da!


Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Who else made mango chicken? Inspired by my version, but without bell peppers available in the Philippines, Ning of Heart and Hearth made hers with leeks.
After the success of my mango bread recipe, Life with Skinnymum used the leftover mangoes and served this up to her girls.

My other mango recipes:
Egg Rolls Stuffed with Bananas and Mangoes with Nutella Dipping Sauce
Goi Xoai Xanh (Vietnamese Green Mango Salad)
Mango Bread
Mango Salsa
Mangoes with Sticky Rice - Vietnamese-Style



I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging, a world-wide food blogging event created by Kalyn's Kitchen celebrating herbs, vegetables, or flowers. If you'd like to participate, see who's hosting next week. WHB is hosted this week by Maninas of Maninas: Food Matters.


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1 year ago today, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant - Rancho Cucamonga.