Chicken and Mango salad is a must have on your Summer table, and you’ll love this fresh and colourful salad with easy poached chicken.
This chicken and mango salad is Summer in a bowl, and it’s got something for everyone. A zingy lemon shallot dressing for the adults, and yummy coconut rice, mango and cucumber for the kids.
We’re going to poach chicken breast - I’ll show you just how easy it is - and shred it in this healthy summer dinner.
The great thing about this dish is that even if your mango isn’t as ripe as you might like, by grilling it we’ll bring out those flavours and make it ready to eat.
Chicken and Mango Salad Ingredients
- Poached Chicken: We're using chicken breast, and will poach it in water and a chicken stock cube.
- Coconut Rice: Jasmine rice, water, coconut milk and sugar.
- Salad: Baby cos, radicchio, basil, cucumber, artichokes, mango and asparagus.
- Dressing: Diced shallot, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
How to poach chicken
To poach your chicken breast simply place chicken in a saucepan and cover with water and a chicken stock cube. The stock will intensify the chicken flavour. Place on medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer and simmer for 15 mins, then remove it from the heat and sit in water until time to use it.
Is poaching chicken the same as boiling chicken?
No. Poaching chicken is gentler than boiling. We simmer at a low temperature, and this keeps the chicken lovely and tender.
How long does it take to poach a piece of chicken?
It takes just 15 minutes at a gentle simmer to poach chicken breast, and then leave it in the hot water for as long as you can (up to an hour). However, if your chicken breast is particularly large you can slice in half lengthwise to make sure you can poach it in that time.
How to make sure your poached chicken doesn’t come out tough?
Make sure you start with room temperature water, and if you can, room temperature chicken. Don’t raise the heat too high, too quickly, just let it simmer gently.
What to do with leftover poaching liquid?
You can keep that liquid and use it as chicken stock. Store it in the fridge for up to a week or freeze into ice-cubes and store in your freezer.
How to make Chicken and Mango Salad
1. Place chicken in a saucepan, cover with water, add a chicken stock cube and cover with a lid. Place on medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer for 15 mins. Remove from the heat until time to use the chicken.
TIP: Don’t place it on high heat because it will make your chicken tough.
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1L water (or enough to cover)
- 1 chicken stock cube
2. Add rice to a large bowl and rinse several times until water runs clear, then drain water and add rice to a saucepan with fresh water, coconut milk and sugar.
- 1 ⅓ cups jasmine rice
- 1 cup water
- 270ml coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
3. Bring to the boil, then once boiling, turn the heat down to low, stir, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Then rest, covered, until time to serve.
4. Slice base from cos and radicchio, then pick leaves and add to a salad bowl. Pick basil leaves, chop cucumber and drain artichokes, and add to the bowl.
Option to place cucumber on your child’s plate now.
- 1 baby cos lettuce
- 1 radicchio
- ½ bunch basil
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
- 100g marinated artichokes
5. Slice woody ends from asparagus. Slice mango cheeks, peel skin and slice into thin pieces.
Option to place mango on your child’s plate now.
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 mango
6. Heat a frying pan on medium, add olive oil and cook asparagus and mango for a few minutes, until asparagus is bright green and tender.
Option to add asparagus to your child’s plate now.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 mango
7. Finely dice shallot. Mix with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- 1 shallot
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
8. Use two forks to shred chicken breast.
Option to add chicken to your child’s plate now.
9. To serve kids, fluff coconut rice and add it to their plate.
For adults, divide rice amongst plates. Add mango, asparagus and chicken to the salad then dress and toss. Serve over the rice.
Top tip
Make sure you wash your rice until it runs clear, in order to make sure your rice doesn’t get too gluggy.
Substitutions
- Alternative proteins - Instead of poaching chicken breast you could also buy hot smoked salmon fillets, prosciutto or cooked prawns and add to this salad.
- Vegetarian - To make this salad vegetarian, simply leave out the chicken and add some chopped almonds for protein and crunch.
- Gluten Free - This recipe is gluten free.
- Dairy Free - This recipe is dairy free.
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Serve kids their mango fresh
- Serve asparagus, cucumber and mango separately
- Serve chicken and rice separately
- Skip the dressing
Equipment
You will need a lidded saucepan, a stovetop, a frying pan.
What to serve with Chicken and Mango salad?
We're serving this salad with creamy coconut rice, because the coconut and mango go so well together. If you want a lighter dinner you can skip the coconut rice, or use plain rice instead. Alternatively, you could also serve with vermicelli rice noodles.
More Chicken Salad Recipes
If you like chicken salads, you should try our
- Creamy Pesto Chicken and Bacon Salad
- This healthy Satay Chicken Noodle Salad
- Summery Lemon Garlic Chicken with Summer Peach and Mint Salad
- This tasty Easy Grilled Chicken with Succotash Salad
Recipe
Poached Chicken and Mango Salad with Coconut Rice
Equipment
- Lidded saucepan
- Stovetop
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast
- 1 cube chicken stock
- 1 ⅓ cup jasmine rice
- 1 cup water
- 270 ml coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- 1 baby cos lettuce
- 1 radicchio
- ½ bunch basil
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
- 100 g marinated artichokes
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 mango
- 1 teaspoon olive oil 90ml total for the recipe
- 1 shallot
- 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup olive oil 90ml total for the recipe
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken in a saucepan, cover with water, add a chicken stock cube and cover with a lid. Place on medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer for 15 mins. Remove from the heat until time to use the chicken.TIP: Don’t place it on high heat because it will make your chicken tough.2 chicken breast, 1 cube chicken stock
- Add rice to a large bowl and rinse several times until water runs clear, then drain water and add rice to a saucepan with fresh water, coconut milk and sugar.1 ⅓ cup jasmine rice, 1 cup water, 270 ml coconut milk, ½ teaspoon white sugar
- Bring to the boil, then once boiling, turn the heat down to low, stir, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Then rest, covered, until time to serve.
- Slice base from cos and radicchio, then pick leaves and add to a salad bowl. Pick basil leaves, chop cucumber and drain artichokes, and add to the bowl.Option to place cucumber on your child’s plate now.1 baby cos lettuce, 1 radicchio, ½ bunch basil, 1 Lebanese cucumber, 100 g marinated artichokes
- Slice woody ends from asparagus. Slice mango cheeks, peel skin and slice into thin pieces. Option to place mango on your child’s plate now.1 bunch asparagus, 1 mango
- Heat a frying pan on medium, add olive oil and cook asparagus and mango for a few minutes, until asparagus is bright green and tender.Option to add asparagus to your child’s plate now.1 bunch asparagus, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 mango
- Finely dice shallot. Mix with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.1 shallot, 1 lemon, Salt and pepper, ⅓ cup olive oil
- Use two forks to shred chicken breast. Option to add chicken to your child’s plate now.
- To serve kids, fluff coconut rice and add it to their plate.For adults, divide rice amongst plates. Add mango, asparagus and chicken to the salad then dress and toss. Serve over the rice.
Leave a Reply