We are in prime time grilling season and I am on the hunt for delicious new grilling recipes.  So imagine my delight when I happened onto a recipe for Chipotle Mango BBQ Chicken just in time for my 4th of July cook out!  The original recipe is by Guy Fieri of Guy’s Big Bite on the Food Network.

I followed the original recipe pretty closely with only 2 real changes.  I swapped out the lemon juice for lime juice because it just seems more fitting.  I also cut back the salt and pepper.  The amount called for in the original seemed really excessive.  You can always add more to taste, but it is really hard to un-season a dish once the deed is done!

I loved this recipe!  Not only was it a fun twist on the usual grilled chicken, it was also totally tasty.   The mango and cilantro give this sauce a great fresh flavor while the smoky spicy chipotle peppers combined with the savory garlic really kick the flavor up a notch.

If you aren’t familiar with chipotles in adobo sauce, they are smoked jalapeno peppers packed in a spicy tomato sauce. You can typically find them in the hispanic section of your local grocery store.   They are a wonderful addition to all kinds of dishes from tacos to salad dressing.

In addition to the taste, the other thing I love about this recipe is how easy it is to make.  You just throw every thing (but the chicken) in a food processor, give it a few pulses and the sauce is done!  All you have left to do is grill.

So give the recipe a try and let me know what you think.  My cookout guests loved it and I hope you do too!

Chipotle Mango BBQ Chicken

Prep time: 10 minutes – Marinade time: 6 hours – Cook time: 25 minutes

• 2 ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro (loose pack, not chopped, stems and all)
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• juice of 1 fresh lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, plus extra for grill
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone in, skin on

Put the mango, cilantro, chipotle, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper, in a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings, to taste.

Pour half of the mango BBQ sauce into a large resealable.  Add the chicken  to the bag and seal it.  Massage  chicken through the bag so that all the chicken is well coated with the sauce. Refrigerate at least 6 hours to marinate.

Put the other half of the mango mixture into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. After cooking divide the remaining sauce into two portions and refrigerate until ready to use.  Half of the sauce will be used to baste the chicken while it is grilling while the other half will be for serving with the cooked chicken.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat and brush the grill grate with canola oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put on the grill.  Discard the resealable bag and marinade sauce.

Grill the chicken, turning and basting with the cooked Chipotle Mango BBQ about every 5 minutes until cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.  (Fully cooked chicken should reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees.)  Discard basting sauce after cooking the chicken.

Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the reserved  cooked Chipotle Mango BBQ sauce.

Cooking Tip: If you are worried about making the sauce too spicy, start by adding 1/2 a chipotle pepper, processing the sauce, and taste.  Then you can decide if you want to add more.

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