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Mango Habanero BBQ Chicken Recipe
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4.84 from 6 votes

Mango-Habanero BBQ Chicken Recipe

With this juicy bbq chicken recipe, we marinate the chicken to infuse it with flavor, then grill it and slather it in a homemade spicy mango-habanero bbq sauce. Perfection.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Marinating Time1 hour
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barbecue, bbq, chicken, grilled chicken, recipe
Servings: 4 chicken breasts
Calories: 682kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup malt vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons habanero hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

FOR THE MANGO-HABANERO BBQ SAUCE

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 4 habanero peppers diced
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2-3 cups chopped mango I used 2 cups for this recipe, but you can use more as desired
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons spicy chili flakes
  • 1 tablespoon ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon mustard powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

FOR GRILLING

  • 4 8- ounce chicken breasts

Instructions

FOR THE MARINADE

  • Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts and cover with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight. If you’re in a hurry, marinade for 1 hour minimum, though you won’t get as much flavor penetration.

FOR THE MANGO-HABANERO BBQ SAUCE

  • Heat a large saucepan to medium heat and add olive oil with onion and peppers. Cook about 5 minutes, or until everything softens.
  • Add the garlic and cook another minute, until garlic becomes fragrant.
  • Add remaining ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20-30 minutes.
  • Process until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a ½ cup of water or more and continue to process to your preferred consistency. Serve the sauce right away, or let it sit awhile to allow the flavors to more fully develop.

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • Heat your grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken 5 minutes per side to get a nice sear.
  • Baste on a few spoonsful of the barbecue sauce and continue to grill until you reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer.
  • Remove from heat and let rest a couple minutes.
  • Serve with extra bbq sauce.

Notes

Heat Factor: Medium-Hot. You'll get some good heat with the barbecue sauce, but the habanero heat is somewhat tempered by the mango. Include more habanero peppers to up the heat factor.

Nutrition

Calories: 682kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1399mg | Potassium: 1417mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 4570IU | Vitamin C: 64.6mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 6.2mg