- 2 fresh ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 makrut lime leaves, cut into slivers with scissors, stem and central vein discarded
- 1 red chile, seeded and diced
- 1 thumb-sized piece galangal or ginger, sliced
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup peanut oil or coconut oil
- 2 to 3 chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 2-inch-long pieces
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 to 1 mango, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 to 4 tablespoons coconut milk or water
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- Gather the ingredients.
- Thai mango chicken sauce ingredients
- Place the mangoes, garlic, makrut lime leaves, chile, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and turmeric in a food processor or blender. Process well until smooth.
- Thai mango chicken sauce ingredients in a food processor
- Taste the sauce. The goal is to reach a balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. Add more sugar if you find the sauce too sour (this will depend on the sweetness of your mangoes). If not spicy enough, add more chile. If not salty/flavorful enough, add more fish sauce. If too salty or too sweet, add more lime juice. Set aside.
- Gather the ingredients.
- Thai Mango Chicken ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the chicken pieces and turn or gently stir them to coat.
- Chicken tossed with flour and salt in a bowl
- Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then begin frying the chicken pieces, 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until light golden brown and cooked through.
- Chicken cooked in a wok
- Remove chicken from the pan and set on a paper towel.
- Cooked chicken draining on paper towels
- Clean out the wok/frying pan. Set over medium-high heat and add the mango sauce plus the red bell pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer (medium to low heat).
- Thai mango chicken sauce simmering
- If sauce becomes too thick, add 3 to 4 tablespoons coconut milk or water. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, or until the pepper has softened slightly but still retains some crispness.
- Thai Mango chicken sauce in a wok
- Add the fried chicken pieces, gently stirring them into the sauce. If desired, add chunks of mango. Simmer briefly, just until everything is hot.
- Fried chicken and mango added to the wok
- Do a final taste test for salt, tasting the sauce together with the chicken. Add a little more fish sauce or chile if desired.
- Thai mango chicken in a wok ready to taste test
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot topped with cilantro.