This Chili’s Mango Chile Chicken copycat recipe is super flavourful with spices, a delicious mango glaze, pico de gallo and fresh avocado.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken cutlets – boneless skinless chicken thighs would work as well.
- Avocado – use guacamole for garnish instead or leave this out altogether.
- Pico de gallo – try using your favourite salsa, hot sauce or even chili sauce instead.
- Mango – fresh mango is best but you can use canned or frozen mango if its not in season, or even try substituting for fresh pineapple.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you don’t like cilantro.
- Broccoli – cauliflower or green beans would also be good.
- Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like canola or avocado oil.
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed or bottle lime juice will both work.
- Chili powder – make your own using a blend of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cayenne.
- Cumin – coriander is the best substitute for cumin.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic or garlic powder will work in a pinch.
- White rice – use any rice variety of your choice like brown rice or Jasmine rice.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth will provide a similar flavour.
- Butter – olive oil can be used as a dairy-free alternative.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make this recipe
- Assemble all your ingredients.
- Make the mango glaze.
- Cook the Mexican rice and steam the broccoli.
- Marinate the chicken in the mango glaze.
- Sauté the chicken until cooked.
- Serve and enjoy!
More side dish ideas
I like to serve this dish with a side of rice and broccoli. If you would rather serve something else, there are plenty of other side dishes that taste fantastic with mango chicken, including:
- Quinoa salad
- Warm tortillas, dinner rolls or breadsticks
- Steamed veggies
- Crockpot baked potatoes
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the nutritional information on the Chili's website, one serving of this dish, including steamed broccoli and Mexican rice, is 510 calories. In comparison, the calories in my version of the chicken dinner, including a serving of broccoli and Mexican rice, is 528 calories. The small difference in calories is most likely because calorie count can vary from brand to brand. You’re still getting a healthy meal in the comfort of your own home!
There are 57 grams of carbs in this recipe. If you want a low-carb option, you can cook the mango chicken with steamed veggies or salad instead of the Mexican rice.
You’ll need about half a cup of diced mango for this recipe. To cut the mango, cut the sides away from the pit, make crosswise cuts and then peel the flesh away from the skin. You can do small crosswise cuts or larger cuts then dice even smaller.
Due to their different cooking times, you will need to cook the rice separately from the chicken. Because it only takes 10 minutes to cook in one, I like to use a rice cooker for this. If you don't have a rice cooker, you can cook the rice according to the package instructions on the stove top. You can also use an Instant Pot – make sure to add all the seasonings to get that yummy Mexican rice flavour.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in a covered pan for 20 to 25 minutes in the oven at 350° Fahrenheit. If you’re in a hurry, you can reheat in the microwave for a few minutes, but the texture won’t be the same. Make sure to sprinkle some water over top of the chicken and rice so it doesn’t dry out.
Freezing the chicken and rice
Chicken and rice dinners freeze perfectly and are a great meal prep option for busy weeknights. After the chicken and rice have cooled, transfer them to an airtight glass meal prep container and freeze for 3 to 4 months. when you’re ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven or the microwave.
More Chili's copycat recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this dish into leftovers.
- A rice cooker is invaluable for saving time, and it cooks other grains, too!
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Chili's Mango Chile Chicken {Copycat Recipe}
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo
- 1/2 cup mango, diced
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 head broccoli
Mango glaze
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp mango, chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Mexican rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
- Mix together ingredients for mango glaze in a blender or Magic bullet. Marinate chicken in glaze for 10 minutes, then saute in a large skillet over med-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, add all ingredients for Mexican rice together in a rice cooker and cook. Add broccoli to a large bowl of water and microwave for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Serve chicken with Mexican rice and steamed broccoli, then top each chicken cutlet with 2 slices avocado, a bit of pico de gallo, some diced mango and a bit of chopped cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Marina says
Not sure what we did wrong because the marinade was extremely thick and left the chicken pretty flavorless after cooking. Would recommend adding more liquid and seasoning (and spice) to the marinade recipe in the future. The mango salsa and rice were great!
Shellie says
How come the video shows salt and pepper in the marinade but the ingredients don’t show that?
Taylor Stinson says
This was a mistake, I updated the recipe to reflect the salt and pepper.
Chuck says
I love the mango chicken. They serve it now with a mango sauce poured on top that is different than the glaze, how do you make that ? – Chuck
Taylor Stinson says
I’m sorry, that sounds like a different recipe I would need to develop.
Laura says
Is it okay to marinate the chicken longer than 10 minutes?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes for sure! It can be marinated up to 24 hours.
Tirzah Knight says
Hey! How much chili powder are you supposed to use? The recipe has the letter t instead of a number.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Tirzah – sorry for the typo! It’s 1 tsp. I’ve gone ahead and fixed that now.