When mangoes are in season, I keep thinking of different dishes I can prepare using them. Though mostly it ends up in a sweet dish, this time around I decided to incorporate it into a salad. And we all just loved it. When I started off with this recipe, I wanted to try different textures and flavours balancing together and I have to tell you I managed to achieve it..:)

I have tried both barbecue sauce and hot sauce in this recipe. Instead of green chillies, have added chopped jalapenos. I also tried to bring in some sweetness through the mangoes, some cranberries and of course the barbecue sauce. This salad uses just a teaspoon of oil to help cook the chicken. So I guess you wouldn’t need any more reasons to try out this recipe..;)

Few things to keep in mind

• Barbecue Sauce for Chicken: I have used Barbecue Sauce in the recipe to marinate the chicken and cook it. But you can replace it with any other sauce too or just go with salt and pepper as well.
• Peanuts: The peanuts can be replaced with any other nuts like cashews, almonds, pistachios or walnuts. You can skip the nuts too – though I prefer adding it for the crunch!
• Cranberries: Cranberries can be replaced with raisins, though personally I prefer cranberries for their color and that perfect combo of a sweet and tangy flavour they give.

Recipe

Ingredient List

• Boneless Chicken – 250 gms
• Barbecue Sauce – 1 tbsp
• Olive Oil – 1 tsp
• Mango – 1/2, cut into julienne
• Onion– 1, small and thinly sliced
• Hot Sauce – 1+1/2 tbsp
• Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
• Chopped Jalapenos – 1 tbsp
• Roasted Peanuts, de-skinned – 2 tbsp
• Basil Leaves – a few, chopped
• Cranberries – a few, chopped
• Salt and Pepper – if needed, as per taste

Step by Step Process

1. In a mixing bowl, taken boneless chicken cubes and add the barbecue sauce and olive oil to it and mix well. Keep this aside.
2. Heat a pan and add the chicken pieces to it. Keep turning it around till cooked through. Due to the sweetness in the barbecue sauce, the chicken pieces may brown fast and have a charred look. Once done, remove the chicken to a plate and let it cool.
3. Once the chicken has cooled down, cut it into smaller pieces or shred it using a fork.
4. Add the chicken pieces into a mixing bowl and then add the cut mango.
5. Thinly slice the onions and add some cold water and salt to it. Rub it well and then squeeze out the water before adding the onions to the salad. This step helps in making the onions taste a little milder. If you prefer the raw onion taste, then you can skip this step and directly add the sliced onions to the salad.
6. Add the remaining ingredients – the hot sauce (you can replace this with barbecue sauce or sriracha sauce too), lemon juice, chopped jalapenos, roasted peanuts, basil leaves and cranberries. Mix well and add salt/pepper, if needed.