Summer Mango Chicken

Today I staggered home through the heat and humidity of NYC. I knew I had nothing in my fridge. I knew I didn’t really want to cook – its too hot, and I don’t have air conditioning. But I did know that I bought my two other meals of the day, and spending money on the third was just plain irresponsible of me. So I inventoried the fridge:

Frozen chicken (diced)
Ripe mangos
Cilantro (left over from guacamole)
Red onions – already half gone
Garlic

And Voila! A meal!


1.    Season frozen chicken with a teaspoon and a half soy sauce, a generous pinch of cinnamon and cayenne, a teeny pinch of cumin, and a tablespoon of cooking wine. Maybe a drizzle of sesame oil too.
2.    Cube the mango. Mangos are oval and usually wider one way. The width is determined by the big skinny pit inside. Slice just above the center (hopefully skimming right by the pit) on either side. Take the halves and use your knife to score lines horizontally and vertically into bite size cubes, but don’t go thru the skin. Invert the mango skin so the fruit pops out – scoop it out with a spoon or cut it free with your knife.
3.    Chop your onion into similarly sized bite cubes. Mince the cilantro and garlic.
4.    When the chicken is defrosted, heat up your pan with a teaspoon of oil. Swirl the pan so it is coated evenly.
5.    Toss in the garlic. Cook until fragrant.
6.    Add chicken and marinade. Wait a minute or two (when the chicken is cooked at least on one side) and add onions. Cook until onions are mostly transparent.
7.    Add the cilantro and mangos. The riper the mango, the less you need to cook it. If you mango is super ripe, don’t cook it at all. Cook on medium heat for about a minute, maybe two, until the cilantro is incorporated and the mango and onion have picked up all the yummy chicken bits on the bottom of the pan. Do not cook any longer than this or you’ll end up with mango puree!
8.    Serve! Goes well with rice and beans.