More Salad: Chicken Mango Salad

March 11, 2015

In many respects, GTLF facilitates "entertaining" by offering dishes that are delicious and visually attractive. The down side is that occasionally the ingredient lists are very different and it's hard to know if your company is going to enjoy it or not. Once, I had my nieces and nephews over for a mini vacation over their summer break. If I made foods that had obvious vegetables in the dish, the kids didn't like it. However, if I was successful in cleverly disguising the vegetables, the kids ate them without a problem often raving about the dish. Hahahahaha... sneaky! Anyway, this exotic salad is one that anyone would enjoy and it's very tasty.  Happy entertaining! In this case, my mom made this dish for our family while she's on her vacation visiting me... I'm a lucky duck.

Chicken Mango Salad

GTLF: Main Dish Salads 15

Serves 4, 25 min. working time, 35 min. total time

1 C long grain rice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons coconut

3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 C chili sauce

1/4 C fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 mango (12 oz) peeled and cut into 1/2 in. cubes.

1 cucumber, peeled halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

4 C mixed torn greens

1. Preheat the broiler. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/4 C of water to a boil. Add the rice, garlic, and 1/4 tsp of the salt, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender, about 17 min. Stir in the coconut. Transfer the rice to a large bowl, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, rub the chicken with the paprika and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 4 min. per side, or until cooked through. When cook enough to handle, slice the chicken crosswise into 1/2 in. pieces.

3. In a large bowl, combine the chili sauce, lime juice, honey, and oil. Add the mango, cucumber, onion, and tomatoes, stirring to combine. Add the rice, chicken, and greens, tossing to combine. Divide among 4 plates and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Nutritional Information: 7 g fat, 468 calories, 1.9 g sat. fat, 78 g carbohydrate, 27 g protein, 49 mg cholesterol, 816 mg sodium.

Tips:

1. I use jasmine rice for these kind of dishes. It's very fragrant and delicious and absorbs liquid well so as not to be too sticky.

2. Mango can be purchased in slices. Buy the slices and cut into cubes, cutting open a mango fruit is difficult and messy...

3. GTLF suggests that you toss the greens in with the salad and makes it a point to mention that this should be done right before serving. Well, if you're planning on have any leftovers, I suggest that you don't mix in the greens. Greens will wilt and become soggy the longer it sits.

4. I don't understand about fluffing rice... if any of you figure that out, let me know.

5. I notice the timings for cooking all work best when the meats are well defrosted. Always defrost chicken inside the refrigerator. Here is where I've learned that a little planning goes a long way to making your cooking life easier.