This Chopped Chicken Mango Salad has a flavorful combination of crisp colorful veggies, beans and marinated grilled chicken.  It’s all tossed in an easy homemade mango dressing that makes this salad a healthy restaurant-quality meal the whole family will love.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why You'll Love This Chicken and Mango Salad Recipe
• 🛒 Ingredients for Mango Chicken Salad
• 🔪 How to Make Chicken with Mango Salad
• 💡 Tips for Salad with Mango and Chicken
• ☑️ Storage Instructions
• 🔄 Substitutions and Additions
• Do mango and chicken go together?
• What dressing goes with chicken and mango salad?
• What pairs well with mango in a salad?
• 🍽️ More Healthy Salads

❤️ Why You'll Love This Chicken and Mango Salad Recipe

• Tender and juicy chicken is marinated and grilled
• Fresh crisp chopped lettuce, cucumber and red onion
• Sweet juicy tomatoes and mango
• Creamy black beans and avocado
• Tossed in a flavorful homemade mango dressing

If you’ve been looking for ways to dress up an ordinary salad, the combination of flavors in this salad are incredible.  It all starts with my homemade Mango Dressing that is not only drizzled over the salad, but it’s also used to marinate the chicken, giving it a ton of flavor.

I use a mix of fresh colorful ingredients that have contrasting textures and flavors.  From crisp lettuce, cucumbers and red onions, sweet tomatoes and mango, to creamy black beans and avocado and of course crunchy toasted walnuts to finish it off.

This salad compares to one that you might order in a fancy restaurant, made at a fraction of the cost in your own kitchen. And the best part is, you can change things up according to what you have on hand.

🛒 Ingredients for Mango Chicken Salad

• Chicken
• Lettuce
• Mango
• Mango Dressing
• Black beans
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Avocado
• Red onion
• Walnuts
• Dried oregano

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Outdoor grill or grill pan
• Meat thermometer
• Bullet blender
• Serving platter or salad bowl

🔪 How to Make Chicken with Mango Salad

Prepare the dressing, then measure out ⅓ cup to use as the marinade and refrigerate the rest to use on the salad.

Add the chicken to a food storage bag, then pour ⅓ cup of the dressing over the chicken.  Seal up the bag and let it marinate in the fridge for 4-6 hours.

Preheat your outdoor grill or grill pan while you chop up the cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, red onion and mango. Be sure to toast your walnuts in a dry skillet as well.

Grill your chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F, when checked with a meat thermometer.

Let the chicken rest before cutting, while you assemble the salad.

Wash, dry and thinly shred your lettuce.  I like to use my salad spinner to help it dry faster.  Then place it on a large serving platter or bowl. Chop the chicken into bite size cubes, then add over the salad in 2 groups.

Next, add the diced mango in the center, and the rinsed black beans and halved tomatoes on the sides.

Add in the cucumber, avocado, red onion and toasted walnuts.

Sprinkle the dried oregano over the top and drizzle with the mango dressing right before serving.

💡 Tips for Salad with Mango and Chicken

• Marinate the chicken for 4-6 hours in the fridge, but if you’re pressed for time, 1 hour will also work. I wouldn’t recommend overnight as the acid in the dressing might start to cook the chicken and give it a stringy or mushy texture.
• If your chicken breast is a bit uneven, use a meat mallet to pound it out even.  This will help all sides of the chicken to cook evenly.
• Make sure to brush your grill with olive oil before adding the chicken to help prevent it from sticking. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure you are not over or undercooking chicken.
• Don’t dress the entire salad with the dressing if you know it won’t all be eaten right away. This will prevent the leftover lettuce from getting soggy.
• To add even more flavor to your chicken, add the leftover marinade and about ¼ cup of the dressing to a small saucepan and simmer for 10-12 minutes.  This will do 2 things: it will make it safe to consume and also reduce it to a glaze, that you can brush over the chicken during the last few minutes of grilling. I use this little trick often to give whatever I’m grilling more flavor.

☑️ Storage Instructions

Store leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  It’s best to store the chicken in a separate container, so you can easily heat it up when you are ready to serve your leftover salad.

🔄 Substitutions and Additions

• If you like corn, you can grill 1-2 ears of corn, slice it off the cobb and add it to the salad.
• I use cherry tomatoes in this salad, but you can use any tomatoes that you happen to have on hand.  You’ll want to chop them the same size as the other ingredients to make it easier to enjoy.
• If you like bell peppers, you can add in some fresh diced peppers in varying colors.
• You can make this same salad using steak or shrimp if you’d like. Cooking times will vary, of course, but either will make a great substitute for the chicken.
• If romaine lettuce isn’t your favorite, you can use any lettuce that you like. Green leaf lettuce or Boston would be perfect, or a spring mix would work well too.
• I use walnuts in this recipe, but you can use cashews, almonds or pecans instead if that’s what you have on hand.  Just be sure to toast them first, as it will give them more flavor.
• For an alternative way to enjoy this salad, add some to a pita or wrap for the best lunch ever!

Do mango and chicken go together?

Yes, they actually go together really well, both in this chopped salad and also in a creamy chicken salad.

What dressing goes with chicken and mango salad?

The most flavorful dressing to use with this salad is my Mango Dressing and it's also used as a marinade. But any vinaigrette will also work well.

What pairs well with mango in a salad?

The combination of ingredients in this salad pair beautifully with mango. From the juicy sweet tomatoes, crisp lettuce, cucumber and red onion to the crunchy walnuts and creaminess of the black beans and avocado.

🍽️ More Healthy Salads

• Chopped Kale Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Chickpea Salad
• Smoked Salmon Salad
• Spinach and Arugula Salad