Mango Barbecue Chicken!

Hello, hello!

We just had a MAJOR rain storm blow through here.

And, apparently, a cold snap is following right behind. Like, the temperature is supposed to drop so far so fast that it might even snow. SNOW! Mind you, it was 82 degrees on Sunday. It was about 70 this morning and it is presently 64 degrees (according to my weather app) so the temp is definitely dropping. Rumor has it that it could be in the 30s tomorrow morning! I’m not prepared for a freeze! Oh, those poor little flowers I just planted!!! 😦

Bright side – the pollen has been RIDICULOUS and the rain at least washes it away some. Seriously, the puddles are rimmed in YELLOW!

Bless you!

And, insert witty segue here…… nope. Got nothing.

So, we grilled a lot this weekend.

Besides grilled cheese – really. cheese on the grill. it was AMAZING! – we threw down some pretty awesome barbecue chicken.

Mango Barbecue Chicken, to be exact. 🙂

As in, make your own Mango Barbecue Sauce and slather it on some chicken.

I found the recipe in my Clean Eating cookbook and the Harris Teeter had mangoes on sale so it was a total no-brainer!

(Side note – I heart Harris Teeter. Especially their produce section.)

Anyway, Mango Barbecue Sauce. It was pretty darned delicious. The only thing I am going to do differently next time is add some heat. And I don’t mean cook over a fire heat – I mean jalapeno pepper or red pepper heat. It definitely could be kicked up a notch.

But, that didn’t stop us from gobbling it all down. (no pun intended! ha!! I crack myself up.)

Mango Barbecue Chicken
serves 6

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 mango, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Sucanat (I used raw honey)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used a whole, cut up fryer we got at the farmer’s market. YUM!)
1 lemon, halved
olive oil cooking spray
freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add tomato, mango, apple cider vinegar, honey (or Sucanat if you actually have that), mustard and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to blender or small food processor and process until smooth. Please note that the sauce will be thick. Pour 1/2 cup barbecue sauce into a bowl to brush on the chicken while grilling and reserve remaining for passing at the table. (Or, put as much barbecue sauce on the chicken as you want which is what we did. We’re not big “pass the bbq sauce” kind of people.)

2. Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium.

3. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towel and arrange in a single layer on a tray. Squeeze juice from half a lemon over the chicken and then lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn chicken over and repeat.

4. Grill chicken according to what kind of pieces you are grilling (boneless breasts can take 10-15 minutes total depending on how thick they are. bone-in pieces require different cooking times (breasts about 8-10 minutes per side).) Brush with barbecue sauce during last 5 minutes of cooking. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. Good luck with that, by the way. 🙂 If you’re a “sauce on the side” group, while chicken is resting, reheat remaining sauce and serve with the chicken.

5. Count the days until summer because this recipe will make you think you’re already there. 🙂

 

Talk to me: What’s your favorite flavor barbecue sauce? Do you barbecue only when it’s warm or are you a year-round griller?

We are definitely year-round grillers. We do a turkey on the grill during the holidays and I’ve shoveled my way to the grill before. Nothing stands between a girl and her grilled food! 😉

We prefer a Kansas City style barbecue sauce but this Mango sauce, once I heat it up, will likely become a regular.

– jennifer