Grilled Mango Chicken Breasts (With a Sweet & Savory Glaze)

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Grilled chicken can be… fine. Safe. Predictable. But this mango chicken? This one turns heads. It’s soaked in mango, soy, garlic, and honey — flavors that don’t just sit on the surface, they settle in. The edges caramelize, the glaze turns glossy, and that first bite hits sweet, salty, and just smoky enough to make you pause.

You don’t need fancy gear or a full afternoon. Just a few good ingredients, a hot grill, and ten minutes to let the magic happen.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 2 ripe mangos, peeled and diced

• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

• 3 garlic cloves, smashed

• ½ tsp freshly grated ginger

• 1½ tbsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp honey

• 2 tbsp water (add a little more if needed to blend)

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Olive oil, for greasing the grill

• Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

• Optional: red chili slices or red pepper flakes 

 Instructions

1. Prep the chicken

Place the chicken breasts between sheets of parchment paper or in a large zip-top bag. Gently pound to an even ¾-inch thickness using a meat mallet. This helps them cook evenly and stay juicy.

2. Make the marinade

In a blender or small food processor, combine the diced mango, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice, honey, and water. Blend until smooth and silky. Set aside ¼ cup of the marinade for glazing later.

3. Marinate

Place the chicken breasts in a dish or zip-top bag and pour in the remaining marinade. Seal or cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 for deeper flavor.

4. Grill

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (around 400°F) and lightly oil the grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Lightly pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season both sides generously with kosher salt and black pepper.

Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 5–6 minutes per side, or until fully cooked and nicely charred.

5. Glaze

During the last minute of grilling, brush the tops of the chicken with the reserved marinade and let it bubble and slightly caramelize.

6. Rest and serve

Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a few red chili slices or flakes for a pop of color.

📌 If this recipe’s going on your grill soon, save the image below to your Pinterest so you’ve got it when you need it. Trust me, you’ll want to come back to this one.

Grilled Mango Chicken Video Recipe

Tips & Tricks

• Double the marinade, but treat it like two sauces. One batch goes on the raw chicken — the other? Pour it into a small saucepan and simmer it for 5–7 minutes until it thickens. What starts as a pourable blend turns into a sticky glaze you’ll want to spoon over everything. It’s worth the extra dish.

• Ripe mango makes all the difference. If it’s soft and slightly wrinkled, it’s perfect — full of flavor and easy to blend. If all you’ve got are firm ones, peel and microwave them for 20 seconds to soften slightly. It’s a cheat, but it works.

• A pinch of baking soda in the marinade (optional, but clever). Sounds strange, but just ⅛ teaspoon helps tenderize the chicken further, especially if you’re only marinating for a short time. Don’t go overboard — too much and it’ll taste off.

• Let the chicken come to room temp before grilling. Not fully warm, just not fridge-cold. It cooks more evenly and won’t seize up on the grill. Pull it out about 20–30 minutes before you fire up the heat.

• Control your grill heat — don’t just blast it. Medium-high is great, but flare-ups from honey can char too fast. If you see flames, move the chicken to a cooler zone or turn one burner down. You want a good sear, not a burnt sugar crust.

• Glaze late, not early. That reserved glaze has honey, and honey burns fast. Only brush it on in the last 1–2 minutes, when the chicken’s almost done. This keeps it glossy, not bitter.

• Resting is non-negotiable. It’s tempting to cut right in — don’t. Resting for 5–7 minutes lets the juices redistribute so the chicken stays moist and tender instead of dripping all over the board.

• Next-day gold. This chicken makes killer leftovers. Slice it cold and layer it into wraps with crunchy slaw, toss it into a rice bowl with avocado and lime, or reheat it and pile it onto a toasted brioche bun.

• Add texture. Want to turn this into a restaurant-level dish? Serve it over coconut rice, top it with toasted sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, or crispy shallots. Texture turns this from good to “you made what at home?!”

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