Honey Lime Chicken with Mango (Printable)
Zesty honey lime grilled chicken topped with a refreshing tropical mango salsa, ready in just 40 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ For the Chicken
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 3 tbsp honey
03 - 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
04 - 1 tbsp olive oil
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tsp ground cumin
07 - ½ tsp paprika
08 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ For the Mango Salsa
09 - 2 ripe mangos, diced
10 - 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
11 - ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
12 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
13 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
14 - 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
15 - Salt, to taste
→ To Serve
16 - Lime wedges
17 - Fresh cilantro leaves
# How To Make:
01 - In a bowl, whisk together honey, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour marinade over chicken breasts in a resealable bag or shallow dish. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator for deeper flavor.
02 - While the chicken marinates, combine mango, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt to taste. Chill until ready to serve.
03 - Preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and grill for 5–6 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear.
04 - Let chicken rest for 3–5 minutes. Slice and serve topped with generous spoonfuls of mango salsa. Garnish with lime wedges and extra cilantro if desired.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The honey lime combination creates a caramelized crust on the chicken that is genuinely hard to stop eating.
- Mango salsa is one of those things that makes people think you spent all day cooking when it takes about ten minutes.
- Everything comes together in forty minutes and most of that is hands off marinating time.
- It is naturally gluten free so you can serve it to almost anyone without a second thought.
02 -
- Marinating longer than two hours can make the chicken texture mushy because the lime juice starts breaking down the proteins.
- The mango salsa is best eaten the same day because it gets watery and loses its texture overnight in the fridge.
- Chicken thighs work beautifully here but add a couple extra minutes to the cooking time and check for doneness at the thickest part.
03 -
- If your honey has crystallized scoop it into the lime juice and microwave for fifteen seconds to bring it back to a smooth liquid before adding the rest of the marinade ingredients.
- A pinch of salt in the mango salsa right at the end wakes up every flavor and makes the sweetness taste more complex instead of one dimensional.