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This Mango Chicken Salad is made with the most tender baked and sliced chicken breasts, served over a bed of lettuce and topped with diced mango and crunchy veggies, plus a fresh honey-lemon homemade dressing. It’s the perfect easy salad for lunch or a light dinner, especially alongside crispy grissini or garlic breadsticks.
5 Star Review
“Love how tasty this salad is! The chicken is so moist and goes so well with the mango!” – Suzy
Mango is one of my favorite fruit flavors. It’s sweet and tropical but a little tart. It’s infamously great in both sweet and savory dishes – mango sorbet is just as good as mango salsa, ya feel me?
I came up with this recipe while I was digging into my mango spinach salad — one of my favorite easy, light side salads to pair with chicken. It got me thinking: why not turn those flavors into a full meal? And just like that, this mango chicken salad was born!
Recipe Ingredients
My chicken mango salad recipe consists of one part chicken, one part salad, and one part dressing. Everything comes together using a handful of pantry ingredients.
For the Salad
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: The chicken should be cooked before you toss it with the salad. My air fryer rotisserie chicken is a great meal prep shortcut for this salad. You can also swap in cooked chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.
- Romaine Lettuce: Adds crunch and a fresh, crisp texture to the salad. Iceberg lettuce or mixed greens can be used.
- Baby Spinach: I like to use a couple of cups of spinach because it contributes extra nutrients and texture.
- Mango: I use fresh mangoes, but frozen diced mangoes are totally okay. Just thaw them before adding them to the salad. You could even substitute them with pineapple chunks or peaches.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes or chopped regular tomatoes will work.
- English Cucumber: I love the refreshing crunch and mild flavor of cucumbers in salads. You can also use Persian cucumbers or regular ones, but choose those with fewer seeds.
- Red Onion: Shallots or green onions can be used instead.
- Parsley or Cilantro: Or use your favorite fresh herbs, like basil or mint.
For the Honey Lemon Dressing
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Acts as the base of the dressing.
- Lemon Juice: Adds acidity, but lime juice or white wine vinegar are also okay to use.
- Honey: Maple syrup or agave nectar are great substitutes.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds tanginess and helps to emulsify the dressing. Yellow mustard or whole grain mustard will work.
- Garlic: I like fresh garlic, but you can use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Salt & Black Pepper: Enhances the flavor of the dressing. Sea salt or kosher salt are great options.
How I Prepare Chicken Breasts for This Salad
Salad is one of my favorite ways to use leftover chicken breasts. Most weeks, I’ll bake a batch of my go-to baked chicken breasts on Sunday for meal prep. When I’m ready for this salad, I just slice up the cooked chicken and toss it in.
I always use my 20-minute brining trick before seasoning and baking the chicken at 425˚F for about 20–25 minutes. It turns out tender, juicy, and perfect for this flavor-packed salad!
How to Make Mango Chicken Salad
Making this salad with chicken and mango is a delicious way to combine fresh ingredients into a meal. Quick to assemble, simply follow these easy steps to create a refreshing and flavorful dish that will become your go-to for lunch or dinner!
- Cook the chicken. Cook a pound of chicken breasts, or grab a cooked rotisserie chicken from your nearby grocer.
- Combine the lettuce and spinach. Add chopped romaine lettuce and baby spinach to a large salad bowl.
- Add the chicken and veggies to the salad greens. Top your lettuce mixture with slices of chicken, diced mango, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and parsley or cilantro. Then, set it aside while you mix the dressing.
- Make the dressing. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Taste it for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Combine the dressing with the salad: Drizzle the honey lemon dressing over the salad, toss, and serve.
Serving Suggestions
This dinner salad makes a perfect lunch or a filling light dinner with a hearty loaf of slow cooker bread and a cup of cauliflower cheese soup – it’s the ideal simple meal. I’ll also mix up a big salad like this to serve at a dinner party or potluck. That sweet honey-lemon dressing is always a favorite.
Storing Leftovers
Once the salad is dressed, it isn’t really great for storing. The lettuce will get soggy and wilted. If you anticipate having extra salad, I would refrain from dressing the entire salad and instead dress each dish as you work with it.
If the salad is not dressed, you can store the salad separate from the dressing in an airtight container. The salad will stay nice and fresh for about 2 to 3 days. The dressing will be good to use for about 10 to 14 days.
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Chicken Mango Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken breasts, sliced
- 6 cups romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried, and chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach,
- 1 mango, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 English Cucumber, sliced and cut into half moons
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
For the Honey Lemon Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Add chopped romaine lettuce and baby spinach to a large salad bowl.
- Top with cooked chicken slices, diced mango, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and parsley or cilantro. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper; taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This was delicious! The dressing was so light and refreshing. I added strawberries. You could make this salad anything you wanted to. Will most definitely make again. Well only change some of the ingredients in the salad, never the dressing.
Thank you! So happy you loved it—and strawberries sound like a delicious addition! Totally agree, the dressing is a keeper! 🙂
can you use canned mango?
Absolutely, you can use canned mango if fresh mango isn’t available or if you’re looking for convenience.
Do you know the calories for the dressing? Can’t wait to try this.
How do you Brine? help < Never did this
Hi 👋
It’s a mixture of 4 cups warm water and 1/4 cup salt. Let the chicken breasts stay in the mixture/solution for at least 20 minutes before baking. You can follow this recipe on how to do it: https://diethood.com/oven-baked-chicken-breasts/