Chicken Mango Barley Salad
There are mangoes everywhere at the moment. We are bang in the middle of the summer mango season and they are so perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy that I can’t resist picking them up whenever I’m at the shops.
Obviously, the best way to eat mangoes is simply sliced, greedily, with the juices running down your chin, but they are fabulous in both sweet and savoury dishes.
As the temperature in Sydney is predicted to be over 30°C every day this week, we will be living on salads and ice cream (possibly the perfect summer diet), so I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen to find some meals and desserts to use up this glut of tropical fruit.
Mangoes pair particularly well with chicken, so I’ve created this very summery dish: Chicken Mango Barley Salad with fresh greens and tangy feta, drizzled with a punchy, zesty, garlicky lemon dressing. It’s so good, so healthy, and so tasty.
Barley isn’t as trendy as some of the more recently popular grains like quinoa, teff or freekeh, which is good for us as it’s still very cheap and full of fibre, vitamins and minerals. As a species, we have been eating it for a really long time – humans have cultivated barley for over 10,000 years! It is usually hidden in the supermarket near the packet soups or near the other dried grains and pulses.
Barley keeps for ages, and while I like it best in a salad like this, it is also an excellent way of bulking out winter soups. If you can’t find any barley, this salad would also work perfectly with couscous, bulgur, or even jasmine or basmati rice. This recipe is very flexible and will feed two hungry people with leftovers for lunch the next day or four for a light meal.
FREQUENTLY ASKED Questions
Can I prepare Chicken Mango Barley Salad in advance?
This is an excellent recipe to prepare in stages as then it can just be an assembly job, getting you in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. I often cook up a double batch of barley the evening before (make sure to double the water as well) as it keeps in the fridge for several days and can be added to all sorts of meals to bulk them out.
How is it best to cook the chicken if I make this salad in advance?
The chicken can also be cooked the night before, but if doing so, it’s probably better to poach it. Half-fill a medium saucepan with water, bring to a boil, add about 3 teaspoons of sea salt, and slide the chicken breasts into the water. Turn off the heat, then cover and allow to poach in the hot water for 20-30 minutes. Transfer to a suitable container and chill in the fridge until needed.
What size or weight of chicken breast is best for this salad?
Chicken breasts vary greatly in size. A medium-sized chicken breast is about 200g / 7oz. If you are dealing with enormous pieces of meat (which seems to be the only thing that the supermarkets in Australia sell), it is best to cut the breasts in half horizontally, giving you four thinner slices of meat. This means they will cook evenly – a thick, fridge-cold piece of meat will dry on the outside when it is cooked through to the middle.
Make sure to let the chicken rest before slicing – this makes sure that the meat is juicy and delicious.
CHICKEN MANGO BARLEY SALAD Recipe
Chicken, Mango & Barley Salad
Mangoes pair particularly well with chicken, so I’ve come up with this very summery salad: Chicken, mangoes, fresh greens, salty Feta, bulked out with nutty, chewy barley, all drizzled with a punchy, zesty, garlicky lemon dressing. So good, so healthy and so tasty.
Ingredients
for the dressing:
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 100 ml olive oil
- 75 ml white wine vinegar
- 50 ml lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp whole seed mustard
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
for the barley:
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 250 g pearl barley
for the salad:
- 2 medium chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 125 g mixed salad leaves
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 ripe mangoes
- small bunch mint
- 100 g feta cheese
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small glass jar. Shake well, taste (it should be fairly tart to offset the sweetness of the mango) adjust seasoning if necessary, then set aside.
- In a medium saucepan bring the water, chicken stock and barley the boil. Lower the heat to a steady simmer, use a spoon to skim off any foam, and simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until the barley is chewy but tender. Drain and rinse quickly under cold water, then set aside to cool.
- Use paper towel to pat the chicken breasts dry, then season well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and when hot add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for 4 minutes each side, or until cooked through (see note) then remove from the pan, cover loosely with tin foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, divide the barley between four plates. Top with salad leaves, cucumber and onion. Slice the cheeks of the mangos away from the stone, then using a small knife cut the flesh into squares. Use a large serving spoon to remove the mango flesh from the skin and add to the salads.
- Thickly slice the chicken against the grain and divide between the plates. Top each salad with some fresh mint leaves and crumble over the feta. Pour over plenty of dressing, season with a little salt and pepper and serve immediately.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 874mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 28g
Tried this recipe?I’d love to hear how it went! Please leave a review or a star rating and let me know how it was! Use the hashtag #daysofjay on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations.
