Loaded with fresh mango and coated in a perfectly sticky sauce, this mango chicken and zucchini comes together in only one skillet and is fantastic over rice!
We’re officially getting to that time of year when the entire purpose of dinners is to use up garden vegetables. Zucchini, you’re up first!
This mango chicken is reminiscent of the takeout dish, but we’re giving it a little summery twist today with lots of tender zucchini cubes and of course, extra fresh mango.
The result is a pan full of dinner goals and the only thing a bowl of hot rice will want to see from here on out.
The real bonus here though is that this chicken tastes like it came from an upscale Asian restaurant, but we’re pulling off this little dinner gem today in 40 minutes and in only one skillet.
And the leftovers…don’t even get me started on how bomb they are.
This Mango Chicken features…
- Juicy chicken and tender zucchini
- Sweet fresh mango chunks
- A sweet, spicy, and sticky sauce
- Minutes to make and made entirely in one pan
Making the Chicken
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Cornstarch
- Vegetable oil
- Sweet chili sauce
- Honey
- Rice wine vinegar
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Zucchini
- Yellow onion
- Mangos
- Green onions
- Rice
Choosing Your Chicken
We recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. This cut of chicken is best suited for stir fries like this because it cooks up super juicy and tender coated in a light cornstarch breading.
If you don’t have thighs on hand, boneless skinless chicken breasts will work great instead. They won’t cook up quite as juicy as thighs but they will still be delicious.
Tips for Perfect Sticky Chicken
- Cut chicken in uniform size – cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and try to get them all the same size so they cook evenly.
- Coat chicken in cornstarch – a light coating of cornstarch creates that signature Chinese restaurant-style breading on the chicken.
- Pan-fry chicken and zucchini separately – the chicken and zucchini will cook at different time rates and it’s important not to overcrowd the pan.
- Simmer chicken and zucchini in sauce – once the chicken and zucchini are pan-fried, combine them and allow them to simmer in the sauce until the sauce is thickened (the cornstarch from the chicken coating will thicken the sauce!)
- Add mango near end of cooking – this will prevent your mango from getting mushy.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this chicken.
- Make it spicier – the sauce for this chicken is fairly mild, but you can pump up the spice by adding a minced serrano pepper, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes.
- Try a different fruit – peaches or pineapple would be a great substitute for the mango.
- Change up the vegetable – try sweet pepper, broccoli, snow peas, or asparagus in place of the zucchini. Feel free to use several kinds of veggies as well!
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Cut chicken, vegetables, and mango – store these ingredients separately in refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Make the sauce – mix up the sauce and store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Storing leftovers – once the mango chicken is assembled, it will store well in the refrigerator up to 6 days and reheats great in the microwave.
Seriously, we would live in this pan if we could. The sweet mango paired with the tender zucchini, juicy chicken, and sticky sauce just ticks all the dinner boxes.
100x better than takeout and we haven’t met anyone yet that doesn’t scrape their plate clean!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More skillet chicken dinners you need to try next!
Sticky Mango Chicken and Zucchini
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-in cubes
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 medium ripe yet slightly firm mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-in cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Hot rice and green onions for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, cornstarch, salt, and pepper together, tossing until chicken is evenly coated in cornstarch.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil, and swirl to coat bottom. Begin adding chicken to skillet, shaking off excess cornstarch back into bowl. Cook chicken until golden brown on all sides, turning occasionally. Transfer chicken to a clean plate and set aside for a moment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk sweet chili sauce, honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Set aside for a moment.
- Add zucchini and onion to same skillet you used for the chicken and sauté in pan drippings over medium-high heat until crisp-tender, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
- Pour sauce into skillet over vegetables and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add mango and chicken and cook 3-5 minutes until heated through and sauce is thickened and clinging to chicken.
- Remove mango chicken from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve warm over hot rice with green onions garnished on top. Enjoy!
Kristine says
Wow! This was delicious and true to its claim of being 100x better than takeout. I’ll be adding this to my weeknight rotation. Thank you!
Sarah says
Love to hear that, Kristine! Enjoy!! 🙂