Lentil Mango Salad with Mango Coconut Lime Chicken
Lots of layers of flavour make this Lentil Mango Salad with Mango Coconut Lime Chicken probably my favourite summer salad of the year. Coconut-Lime-Mango dressing is used both as marinade for the super flavourful chicken and dressing for the salad. Which comes in form of coleslaw and added toppings to complete the tropical profile. Lentils boiled in aromatic broth, finished with more lime and coconut add more protein and fibre, plus a delicious bite. Peppers and fresh mango lend sweetness and absolutely addictive maple-lime baked coconut chips crown the whole thing.
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Why You Will Love This
Put the Lime in the Coconut
My Lentil Mango Salad with Mango Coconut Lime Chicken came into being because a friend asked me for a salad with lentils and showed me a video with lentils and mango. My mind went straight to creamy coconut and coconut chips and then started to sing “Put the lime in the coconut” and we went from there.
This is for Esther, from one of my favourite places in Ireland, the Fossey Mountains Springs Ranch. The place where you can get horse cuddles from the nicest and curious horses I have ever met, Western Riding lessons and trails, Natural Horsemanship lessons and the always present tea and chats with amazing people. Oh and not to forget Archery, knife and axe throwing, roping and so many things more.
6 of your 5-a-day in one Summery Bowl
I’m making a mango-coleslaw for this bowl, squeezing in 2 kinds of cabbage, red and white (red cabbage makes everything so pretty!), carrots for sweetness, onion for that little sharp zing and fruity mango for an unusual fruit addition which makes it go perfect with the dressing!
Mango-Coconut-Lime dressing
Of course, for my weekly salad I wanted as many veggies and nutrients as I could squeeze into it, but with low calories for the dressing ideally. Which the Mango-Coconut-Lime dressing delivers perfectly.
Chicken Breast and Lentils for Protein
Oddly enough I rarely use lentils, even though they are fantastic for you due to their high protein content and count as a vegetable too. Cooking them in broth imparts a ton of flavor in these black ones.
The grilled chicken is marinated in part of the dressing, which doubles as marinade and gives it a beautiful coconut-lime flavor.
The Ingredients
- Chicken breast – I use filets due to the quick frying and great flavor absorbtion for the marinade
- Red and white cabbage, carrots, mango and onion for the coconut-lime slaw
- For an added veggie boost I use canned sweetcorn and lovely sweet red peppers
- Mixed baby leaves as green base
Black lentils – They will be cooked in a vegetable stock with lime juice, ginger, garlic and fish sauce, to underline the thai flavors we have going on. That mix also gives them an incredible umami hit that’ll have you munch them by the spoonful later.
Dressing/Marinade
The dressing for the slaw doubles as marinade for the grilled chicken
- Coconut milk as fat source, making it super low in fat for a dressing
- Sweet chili sauce for a nice kick
- Fish sauce for an umami hit and saltiness
- Brown sugar and salt for balance
- Limes as acid
- Ginger and garlic, adding to the Thai theme
- Mango that will be pureed, adding tropical flavor with acidity, tenderizing the meat and pulling together the coleslaw
The Process
To get each ingredient taste it’s very best, we need to prepare them separately and add flavour to each layer. This gives you the epic salad you deserve and makes it so much easier to stick to your meal plan.
Coconut-Mango- Lime Marinated Chicken
The chicken is marinated for extra flavour and was inspired by this recipe from “Platings + Pairings” by mixing all ingredients for the dressing. You’ll need a blender like a Nutribullet or Vitamix * to get the mango very smooth.
Do this first. Then add your chicken breasts to a freezer bag and pour half of the dressing over.
Leave for at least an hour or overnight.
The Coconut-Mango-Lime Slaw
Slice the cabbage and grate the carrots. I love my food processor* for this task. It saves me a ton of time chopping and keeps my fingers intact. (I’m terrible with hand graters!) are mixed into a quick coconut lime slaw and some get added on top, so they don’t lose their crunch and distinctive taste. The rest of the same marinade/dressing we made for the chicken is used for it.
Coconut-Lime Lentils
The Lentils are cooked in broth and then seasoned with coconut, lime and a bit of fish sauce and chili sauce (if you like).
Coconut chips
The coconut chips get a quick coating of maple and take a quick roast in the oven to get super crispy and highly addictive.
Fry your Chicken and Assemble
From there it’s just frying the chicken (I used a cast iron griddle pan to get pretty marks*) and assembly and, if you made enough, you have amazing salad for several days. Or just one incredible meal for the family that no one will be able to resist.
Meal Prep
I keep each of the parts of the Lentil Mango Salad with Mango Coconut Lime Chicken in a separate lidded glass containers* in the fridge and only layer them when I’m ready to eat. Except the coleslaw, which we really want to marinade in the dressing.
That way you have fresh and crunchy salad every day that you can enjoy, without any soggy leaves.
Re-heat Chicken and Lentils
For the chicken: While I fry it on day 1, I usually re-heat it together with the lentils for a minute or two in the microwave, as those 2 ingredients taste best warm.
Tip:
The Coconut chips…you might want to double, even though the amount given makes more than you need for the salad topping. But they are incredibly delicious as snack.
From there, 5min of assembly, and your Lentil Mango Salad with Mango Coconut Lime Chicken is done.
Here Are Some More Salads You Will Love
More options including meat:
Chinese Duck Pancake Salad with Plum Dressing
Strawberry Black Pudding Salad
Grilled Peach Mozzarella Salad
Looking for a meat free salad?
How about Sweet Potato Grape Salad with Goat Cheese?
Or Vegetarian Caesar Salad with Crunchy Air Fryer Tofu
And for Dessert?
Try my Sourdough Chocolate Banana Bread with Protein.
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Lentil Mango Salad with Mango Coconut Lime Chicken
Equipment
- 1 High Speed Blender like Vitamix. Or
- 1 Bullet Blender like Nutribullet
- 1 Griddle Pan or other frying pan
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts
Coconut-Lime Dressing/marinade
- 1 cup coconut milk from a can of full fat coconut milk.
- 1 cups fresh Mango cubed
- 2 limes zested and juiced + juice from the 2 limes of coconut chips if needed
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 2 cloves garlic 3 smashed, 1 chopped
- 1 in ginger fresh, grated (or 1 tsp powder)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Coconut-Lime lentils
- 1 cup black Lentils
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup coconut milk Should be roughly the rest of the can used in the marinade
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 inch ginger fresh, grated (or 1 tsp powder)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups vegetable broth
The Coconut-Lime Slaw
- ¼ white cabbage – shredded
- ¼ red cabbage or one head of either – shredded
- 1 Mango Thinly sliced
- 3 carrots – shredded
- 1 red onion – thinly sliced
- 1 can sweetcorn or fresh
- 2 red peppers – thinly sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 bag Baby leaves
- 1/2 of the dressing/marinade prepared above
- 2 cups coconut chips makes more than you’ll need, but less than you’ll want
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 lime zest. Use the juice to adjust the acidity of the marinade/dressing
Instructions
- Start by zesting all 5 limes. Zest 1 lime into a bowl and set aside for the lentils. Zest 2 limes into a blender or food processor for the dressing/marinade. Zest the remaining 2 limes into another bowl for the coconut chips.
For the Mango Coconut Lime Dressing/Marinade:
- In a blender or food processor, combine 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of chopped mango, the zest of 2 limes, juice of 2-4 limes (adjust to taste), fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, smashed garlic cloves, half of the grated ginger, brown sugar, and 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt (or adjust to taste). If desired, add cilantro. Blend until smooth.
- Place the chicken breasts in a freezer bag and add 1 cup of the prepared dressing/marinade. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight for best results. Reserve the remaining dressing for the salad.
For the Lentils:
- In a saucepan, gently fry the remaining half of the grated ginger and 1 clove of chopped garlic until soft.
- Wash the black lentils and add them to the saucepan along with the vegetable broth. Cook the lentils in the broth for 15-20 minutes or until they become tender.
- Stir in the zest of 1 lime, juice from 2 limes, fish sauce (to taste), sweet chili sauce (to taste), and the remaining coconut milk from the can. Warm the mixture through and let it thicken to your desired consistency. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
For the Coconut Lime Slaw:
- In a large bowl, mix together the shredded red and white cabbage, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onion, and sweetcorn. Add half of the remaining dressing and refrigerate to allow the flavours to meld. Gently fold in the sliced mango.
For the Lime Coconut Chips:
- Preheat your oven to 165°C (325°F).
- In a bowl, combine the coconut chips, maple syrup, lime zest, and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
- Spread the coated coconut chips on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Stir the chips and then bake for an additional 5 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool; they will crisp up as they cool.
Chicken
- preheat a frying pan, griddle pan, or barbecue to medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and discard the marinade.
- Fry the chicken breasts for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are golden and cooked through in the middle. If unsure, cut one piece to check for doneness.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Add any chicken juices to the salad dressing for extra flavour.
To Serve:
- On each plate, create a bed of baby leaves and drizzle with a bit of the remaining dressing. Mix thoroughly.
- Top the salad with the Mango Lime Slaw, chicken, thinly sliced red peppers, cooked lentils, chopped remaining mango, and caramelized coconut chips.
- If desired, sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with more dressing according to your taste.
Notes
Kept in separate airtight containers, this salad keeps fresh in the fridge for about 4 days.
Nutrition
Love mango season! Always looking for some fun recipes. This was awesome and will definitely make again!
The combo of lentils, mango, and coconut lime chicken was amazing! This salad is so delicious, it might have just convinced me to replace my weekend cheat meal with a salad. 🙂
What a fabulous salad recipe! I doubled the sweet chili sauce for that light and sugary taste!
Absolutely delicious!!! The perfect meal on a sultry June day!