Mango Avocado Salsa Chicken (Printable)

A vibrant bowl featuring grilled chicken, mango avocado salsa, black beans, and brown rice for a nourishing meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
04 - 1 teaspoon cumin
05 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
09 - Juice of 1 lime

→ Brown Rice

10 - 1 cup uncooked brown rice
11 - 2 cups water
12 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Black Beans

13 - 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
14 - ½ teaspoon cumin
15 - ½ teaspoon chili powder
16 - ¼ teaspoon salt

→ Mango Avocado Salsa

17 - 1 large ripe mango, diced
18 - 1 ripe avocado, diced
19 - ½ small red onion, finely chopped
20 - 1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
21 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
22 - Juice of 1 lime
23 - ¼ teaspoon salt

→ Serving

24 - Lime wedges
25 - Additional chopped cilantro

# Method:

01 - In a medium saucepan, combine rice, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 35-40 minutes until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and keep warm.
02 - In a bowl, mix olive oil, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Add chicken breasts and coat evenly. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
03 - Preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill chicken 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice.
04 - In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine beans, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir and heat through, about 5 minutes.
05 - In a bowl, gently combine mango, avocado, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
06 - Divide brown rice among 4 bowls. Top with sliced chicken, black beans, and a generous scoop of mango avocado salsa. Garnish with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • It's naturally gluten-free and comes together in under an hour, making it perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something that doesn't feel rushed.
  • The mango-avocado salsa adds such a bright, unexpected twist that even people who claim they don't like healthy bowls end up asking for seconds.
  • You can easily customize it for different diets—swap the chicken for tofu, add extra beans, pile on radishes for crunch—and it still tastes intentional, not like a sad compromise.
02 -
  • Don't prepare the avocado until you're ready to assemble the bowls; it oxidizes quickly and turns brown and unappealing, which I discovered after prepping the whole salsa an hour early for a dinner party.
  • The magic is in the marinating time for the chicken—even 15 minutes makes a noticeable difference in tenderness and flavor, so plan ahead if you can, and if you're short on time, at least coat it well and let it sit while the rice cooks.
03 -
  • If your mango is rock-hard when you buy it, leave it on the counter for a day or two in a paper bag with a banana—the ethylene gas will ripen it naturally, and you'll get that perfect balance of sweetness and texture.
  • Butterfly your chicken breasts or gently pound them to even thickness before grilling so they cook through at the same rate and don't have overdone edges and an undercooked center.
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