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Tropical Chicken Salad with Coconut Rice and Mango Vinaigrette

Chicken Salad with cabbage, carrots, pineapple, and mango dressing in a white bowl
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Tropical Chicken Salad with Coconut Rice and Mango Vinaigrette – this salad is like a day on the beach!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken and Marinade

  • 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut or pounded thin
  • ⅓ cup lite coconut milk
  • ¼ cup pineapple juice
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon salt

 

For the Grilled Pineapple

  • 1 pineapple, edges cut off, sliced into rings, then cored
  • Olive oil

 

For the Mango Vinaigrette

  • 1 cup cubed mango
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup pineapple balsamic vinegar (may substitute with white balsamic vinegar)
  • Juice of ½ lime (about 1 Tablespoon), use a full lime if you like it more tart than sweet
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper

 

For the Salad

  • 4 cups very thinly sliced napa cabbage
  • 1 cup very thinly sliced purple cabbage
  • 1 – 2 avocados, sliced or diced
  • 1 cup diced cucumber
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • ½ cup rice noodles (the Asian-style crunchy noodles in the can)
  • ½ cup dry roasted & salted macadamia nuts, chopped
  • 1 cup cooked white rice (see notes for this cilantro lime rice recipe)
  • Crumbled queso fresco cheese

Instructions

  1. For the Chicken: Add chicken and marinade ingredients in a ziptop container and let marinate for 6 – 24 hours.  Preheat a gas or charcoal grill over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Cover with foil and set aside.
  2. For the Pineapple:  Brush the pineapple slices with olive oil and grill until you have grill lines on each side.  Cover with foil and set aside.
  3. For the Vinaigrette: Add vinaigrette ingredients to a blender or food processor and process until the mixture is very smooth.  Taste and add honey if too tart or a squeeze of lime juice if too sweet.  If it’s too thick, add a splash of water.  Pour into a mason jar or other salad dressing dispenser.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. For the Salad:  Divide ingredients onto individual serving plates or make one big salad in a bowl or on a platter.  Start with the cabbage on the bottom, then scatter the toppings over the top.  Use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like (which is why I offer a range above).  Slice chicken and scatter over the salad.  Add halved slices of pineapple rings over the salad.
  5. Serve the salad immediately with the vinaigrette on the side.

Notes

  • Use this recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice for this salad.  It is incredible!  The little bit of coconut milk in the rice pairs with the salad beautifully.
  • Don’t worry about being exact in the amount of ingredients in your salad.  Add as much or as little as you want or experiment and add what you have in your fridge!

Find it online: https://instafreshmeals.com/tropical-chicken-salad/