Mesquite Chicken with Mango Salsa

If you haven't tried the delicious combination of lime and chili with Mango, you need to try this recipe. I spent a couple of summers in Mexico and always loved to get the mango with lime and chili from the fruit carts on the street. It may sound odd to add chili to fruit but it is soooo good. And the lime just makes it.

I love this fresh mango salsa with mesquite grilled chicken. You can make this into an amazing salad if you top a bed of lettuce greens with this chicken and mango salsa, and a little avocado and lime. But tonight we went with the whole chicken breasts and cilantro rice.

Chicken:
I use McCormick's Mesquite Marinade and follow the directions on the package. It is just 1/4 C oil, 1/4 C water. I put 4 chicken breasts in a big ziploc with the marinade for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Then send my husband out to grill it. Easy.



Mango Salsa:

3 Large Mangos
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1/4 cup diced onion
2 limes
3 T chopped cilantro

Slice mango down both sides of the pit.


Score each of the halves both ways like this:

Then pop open like this and slice off squares into your bowl.

Add other vegetables and juice of 2 limes. Add lime and chili to taste. This is what the lime and chili seasoning looks like. This one is from Mexico. They usually carry a lime and chili seasoning in the Mexican food aisle in Wal-Mart or at any Mexican grocery store.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole *without the cream of chicken soup.

Some people hate Disney, others hate Walmart(can't blame them), but I hate cream of whatever soups.  I absolutely will not ever use them.  Loaded with MSG, oil, sodium and who knows what else - if a recipe calls for them - I don't even consider it.  I know, I'm a snob.

So today, with a surplus of broccoli in my fridge I thought a broccoli casserole would be just the way to go only to discover that EVERY recipe under the sun requires the use of some can of creamed soup.   Still wanting the casserole, I knew it was time to figure out how to make my own cream of chicken soup.  So with this recipe for cream of chicken soup in hand, I made a good old fashioned broccoli casserole without too much guilt or MSG! 

I love the cream of chicken recipe from Apartment Therapy's kitchn site.  It seriously took like a minute and a half.  And here is my completely made up and RIDICULOUSLY yummy recipe for

Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole:

1 C Brown Rice
1 Chicken Breast - salt and peppered
1 large head of Broccoli - chopped up to smallish pieces - abt 4 cups
2 - 3 cloves of garlic - minced
1 yellow bell pepper - diced
Salt & Pepper and other spices to taste(I dashed in some dried basil and oregano)
A double recipe of cream of chicken soup
3(ish) cups of sharp cheddar - grated
1/2 C Wheat Germ



Start cooking one cup of brown rice in 3 cups of water first - this will take about 45-50 minutes so start early.   Next add some butter and olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat.   Add your chicken breast and cover with a little bit of tin foil and cook until no longer pink - about 6-8 minutes per side.  Remove your chicken and leave the drippings - and add a little more oil to the pan.  Add your garlic - cooking for about 30 seconds and then add the broccoli, peppers, salt and pepper and spices and a little bit of water - stir and cover for about 5 minutes until slightly softened and quite flavorful.   While it's cooking dice your chicken breast up and  put it in a large bowl.  Once your veggie mixture and rice are done - throw them in as well as the 2 cups of the cheese and the soup and stir it all together.  Lightly spray a 9 x 13 casserole and put the mixture in.   Top with the remaining cheese and the wheat germ and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is melted and a little golden.  And then prepare yourself for a ridiculously good and pretty darn healthy comfort food for dinner!