Chicken with Mango Salsa
Before I started my freshman year, I anticipated the dining hall doom that plagues the minds of graduates from universities across the country. While comments from relatives, family friends and acquaintances varied about their college experiences, one remained the same: the food would be terrible.
As my first quarter at Northwestern progressed, I realized that I didn’t mind dining hall meals – they weren’t the best (and I generally ate the same thing every day), but I wasn’t puking at the thought of it either. What I did realize was the severe lack of appetizing meat.
So while my preconceived notions about dorm food may have been misguided, I never anticipated the extreme reduction of meat in my diet. Coming from a household that dines on chicken almost nightly, I have come to fully appreciate how delicious it is – and now look for every opportunity to eat it. This recipe just happens to combine chicken with a powerful flavor burst of fresh mango salsa.
Mango Salsa
2 Mangoes
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Bunch Green Onions
2 Tbsp. Fresh Cilantro
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Honey
Cut the mangoes, bell pepper, green onions and cilantro. Mix together in a medium-sized bowl. Add lime juice, olive oil and honey to the mango mixture and stir. Set aside until chicken is cooked.
*You may want to try the salsa and make any measurement adjustments according to your preference.
Chicken
To prepare/cook the meat:
1. Cut all the fat off the chicken breast. (Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work best for this recipe).
2. Place the chicken in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper and coat the surfaces. This step gives the chicken a bit of extra crispy-ish texture underneath the salsa, but is optional.
3. Place the chicken in a skillet with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.
4. Cook on each side about 6 minutes on medium-high heat, or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Spoon the mango salsa over the chicken and serve.