Anna Louise I make this mango chicken on weeknights when I want something genuinely vibrant and interesting without the effort of a complicated dish. The combination of ripe mango, fresh ginger, lime, and a little chilli gives the sauce a tropical sweetness and freshness that is completely different from the heavier cream or tomato-based chicken dishes.
Mango has a natural affinity with chicken — its sweetness complements the savoury character of the meat and its acidity lifts the sauce in the same way that lemon or tomato would.
The fresh ginger gives warmth. The lime gives brightness. The chilli gives just enough edge. The result is a sauce that smells extraordinary the moment it hits the pan and tastes better still.
This is the dish I make when someone tells me they want something different, something light, and something that does not take long. It always delivers on all three.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Mango Chicken
For the Mango Chicken
- 600g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into generous 3cm pieces
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 large ripe mango — peeled, stoned, and roughly chopped (about 300g prepared weight)
- 200ml chicken stock
- 100ml coconut cream
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
- Basmati rice or flatbreads
- Fresh coriander, roughly torn
- Extra lime wedges
- Sliced spring onions
- Natural yoghurt alongside
How to Make Mary Berry Mango Chicken
Step 1 — Brown the Chicken
Season the chicken pieces generously. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in two batches — three to four minutes per batch — until golden on the outside. I always do this in batches because crowded chicken steams rather than colours and the colour is what gives the finished dish its depth. Remove and set aside.
Step 2 — Build the Aromatic Base
In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium. Cook the onion for six to seven minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilli. Cook for two more minutes, stirring frequently. Add the ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric — stir for one minute until the spices are fragrant and toasted in the residual oil.
Add the tomato purée and cook for one minute, stirring.
Step 3 — Add the Mango and Liquid
Add the chopped mango to the pan. Stir it into the spiced base and cook for two minutes — the mango begins to break down slightly at the edges and the whole pan smells extraordinary.
Pour in the chicken stock and coconut cream. Add the lime juice and sugar. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 4 — Return the Chicken and Cook Through
Return the browned chicken pieces to the pan. Stir gently to coat everything in the sauce. Partially cover and cook over a low heat for fifteen to eighteen minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a rich, slightly chunky consistency.
Taste and adjust — more lime if it needs brightness, more sugar if it seems too sharp, more salt if it needs lift.
Step 5 — Serve
Scatter fresh coriander generously over the top. Serve over basmati rice or with warm flatbreads. Add extra lime wedges, spring onions, and a dollop of natural yoghurt alongside.
My Top Tips For Best Mango Chicken
Use a genuinely ripe mango. An underripe mango is acidic, slightly harsh, and completely without the tropical sweetness that makes this dish what it is. The mango should be fragrant, slightly yielding when pressed, and deeply orange inside. A ripe mango makes this sauce extraordinary. An unripe mango makes it merely pleasant.
Cook the spices for one minute in the residual oil before adding liquid. This brief toasting in the hot oil develops the volatile aromatic compounds in the spices and gives the finished sauce a depth that simply adding spices to liquid does not achieve. One minute — stirring constantly — transforms the aroma of the pan entirely.
Brown the chicken properly before the sauce is built. The browning step adds flavour to the chicken itself and to the residual oil in the pan that everything else is cooked in. Pale, uncoloured chicken gives a much flatter finished dish.
Adjust the balance at the end. Mango sweetness varies enormously between fruits. Taste the finished sauce before serving and balance as needed — a little more lime juice for sharpness, a little more sugar for sweetness, a little more salt to bring everything into focus.
Coconut cream rather than coconut milk. The extra richness of coconut cream gives the sauce a slightly more substantial body. Coconut milk gives a lighter result that is pleasant but thinner.
Serving Suggestions
Over basmati rice with fresh coriander — the most natural pairing. With warm flatbreads for scooping. With a simple cucumber and spring onion salad dressed with lime juice and a little sesame oil alongside — the freshness contrasts beautifully with the sweet, fragrant sauce.
How to Store Mango Chicken
In the fridge: Store for up to 3 days. The flavour improves slightly overnight as the mango deepens into the sauce.
In the freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently. The mango texture changes slightly on freezing but the flavour remains excellent.
Mary Berry Mango Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Season chicken. Brown in batches in hot oil — 3–4 minutes per batch until golden. Remove.
- Cook onion over medium heat 6–7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chilli — 2 minutes. Add spices — stir 1 minute. Add tomato purée — 1 minute.
- Add mango — stir and cook 2 minutes. Add stock, coconut cream, lime juice, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Return chicken. Cover partially. Cook over low heat 15–18 minutes until cooked through and sauce is rich.
- Taste — adjust lime, sugar, and salt as needed. Scatter coriander. Serve over rice with lime wedges and yoghurt.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use tinned mango instead of fresh?
Tinned mango in syrup works but gives a sweeter, slightly less vivid result. Drain very thoroughly and reduce the sugar to a pinch if using tinned.
Can I use frozen mango?
Yes — defrost completely and drain any excess liquid before using. The texture is slightly different but the flavour is good.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — replace the chicken with firm tofu, pressed dry and browned in the oil before the onion goes in, or with chickpeas added with the mango. Use vegetable stock.
Can I use chicken breast?
You can but thighs give a much more forgiving result in a fifteen-to-eighteen-minute simmer. Breast can become dry and slightly grainy over that time. If using breast, add it for the final ten minutes only.
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