The longer title of this post is: Chili lime chicken and mango, avocado, cilantro salsa with cilantro lime brown rice and black beans. But that’s a mouthful and a half and way too long for a permalink.

Anyway, enough about that. Last night I made this, for the first time, for dinner guests. I have to say, in the dawn of baseball season, this was a grand slam – the chicken, topping and rice/beans all came out great… if I may say so myself.  This is easily one of my new favorites. I never used to like fruit with my meat or in warm entrees, and I still won’t let strawberries near my salads, but this was delicious! The cilantro and lime juice do a great job bridging the mango to the avocado and to the chicken. There’s so many textures and flavors that all shine on their own but also compliment each other wonderfully. The brown cilantro lime rice is healthy (in moderation), the black beans are super healthy and all together the meal packs a ton of different vitamins and nutrients you need, from protein to fiber to antioxidants to healthy omega 3 fats to vitamin c! Can’t go wrong here.

The Recipe:  Chili Lime Chicken with Mango Avocado Topping

What You’ll Need: serves 4

• 5 lbs lean chicken tenderloins (this will vary based on who is in your 4-some; some eat more or less than others! keep that in mind)
• 2 packages frozen steamable brown rice (you could do this with any kind of rice you’d like)
• 2 cans black beans
• 2 avocados
• 2 mangos
• 1/2 bundle of cilantro – I used 1/2 of the bundle I picked up at the grocery store – the photos may be better reference!
• Lime juice – I usually buy fresh limes but for this it was a lot quicker, easier and cheaper to get one of the plastic lime-shaped bottles
• Salt & Pepper
• Chili lime seasoning or chili powder and more lime juice
• 3 teaspoons olive oil

What You’ll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Black beans: rinse, drain, transfer to non-stick pot with a lid, on low, stirring occassionally throughout prepration time.
3. Finely chop cilantro and set aside to use throughout preparation
4. Spray the bottom of an oven safe dish with nonstick spray and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro – set aside
5. Tenderize chicken (using a meat mallet, soup can, whatever works!)
6. Season both sides with salt and pepper
7. Heat skillet (grill pan is preferred if you have one, so you get the nice marks) with nonstick spray and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Tilt pan so oil disperse
8. Rub one side of chicken with a generous amount of your chili lime seasoning or your chili powder. Coat but do not leave excess.
9. Once the skillet is hot, transfer chicken seasoning side down and let sear for about 2 minutes on each side.  
10. Transfer chicken to baking dish you sprayed and sprinkled with cilantro earlier – in a single layer. Sprinkle
    ith the same amount of cilantro, and top with about 2-3 tablespoons of lime juice. Be careful not to let the lime juice “wash” the seasoning off.
11. Bake uncovered until no longer pink in the center (about 15 minutes, but this will vary so keep an eye on it!  ou want to pull it as soon as its ready to avoid over-cooking and dry nasty chicken)
12. While the chicken is baking it’s time to make the topping: Peel and chop the mangos and the avocados in to desired size chunks. I made them pretty small (but not diced) as to be able to get one of each plus some chicken in a single bite (you know how I am about my “perfect bites”!)
13.  Combine mango and avocado in a bowl with 1/2 remaining cilantro and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Toss until all incorporated.
14.  Steam or cook brown rice, add 2 teaspoons olive oil, the rest of the cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice and sea salt to taste. Stir.
15. Remove chicken from oven when ready, and serve!

I put each dish on the table and let everyone plate and portion for themselves.

My favorite bite? Chicken, avocado, mango, an   d a black bean or two. Unreal.

Even if you’re skeptical of mango with chicken or fruit in a warm entree in general, give it a try! Like I said, it’s not usually my thing, but it all worked really well together, the mango has a more firm texture than other fruits.

We paired this (thanks to my lovely dinner guests) with Bud Light Lime. I have to say it was a great pairing with the freshness of the mango, avocado and cilantro. It was the second day of spring, but I woke up to 28 degree weather and this was a welcome, temporary departure to spring.

It was only 12 WW points! I say only because compared to the rest of my light day and the fact that I was beyond completely full and satisfied, it’s an “only”.

I took the leftovers for lunch, too. It packed surprisingly well.

The avocado only turned a little bit and it maintained its texture, as did the mango (molecular integrity, as my favorite TV nerd would say). The lime juice definitely helped preserve it’s flavor and color, so if you’re saving any for leftovers, don’t forget to pack the salsa/topping separately and add a little extra lime juice!

Great and easy to make for 1, 2 or a group of people.

Who else is ready for spring? What are your favorite flavors of
Spring that you’re most looking forward to?