MANGO CHICKEN

A wonderfully versatile dish which can easily be made the day before. Served chilled, it’s perfect for all those summertime occasions, picnics, buffets, sandwich fillers. Or, for a delicious midweek dinner, load it onto a fluffy baked potato. The chicken will need to be cooked in advance and chilled before making up the dish so it’s best to plan slightly ahead. I promise it’s worth it.

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts (boned & skinned)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of rock salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground red peppercorns

550ml chicken or vegetable stock (I use good quality jelly stock pots)

Sprig of local thyme

250g diced mango (fresh or frozen, defrost before use)

1 lime (zest & juice)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

2 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise

2 heaped tablespoons unsweetened plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped dried cranberries

1 tablespoon flaked almonds (toasted for 1 minute in a dry frying pan)

1 bag mixed leaves of your choice

Heat your oven to 180’c. Season each chicken breast with salt & pepper and place in a small roasting tin. Separate the sprig of thyme and pop a few strands around the chicken, drizzle with the olive oil. Make up or heat the stock to boiling temperature and pour over the chicken. Cover tightly with tinfoil and bake in the oven for 30 mins.

With a sharp knife cut into the thickest part of the chicken breast to check it is cooked through. If the juices run clear, the meat is cooked. Larger portions of meat may take longer, if required, place back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. When cooked, turn the chicken over, cover over with the tinfoil again and leave in a cool place for approximately 30 minutes.