Mango Cashew Chicken Salad
There are certain meals that I eat when Paul is not home for dinner: Garlic & Herb Pasta; Naked Noodles; Corn & Black Bean Fajita Grilled Cheese, and this, my new favorite: Mango Cashew Chicken Salad.
This salad has been on weekly rotation in my house for the last six weeks or so for a few very good reasons: Paul has been gone a lot on trips with students; I have a life-long obsession with cashew chicken; I have a new-found obsession with mangoes; After a practice hike on an evening when it’s 95 degrees with 85% humidity, cooking dinner ends up fairly low on my to-do list; on those same nights, all I want is a light meal, a gallon of water, and my feet up on the couch.
So this summer-y version of cashew chicken has become my go-to. I usually make this and eat it for dinner one night, and then have 3 additional lunches out of it. It holds up perfectly for leftovers and I think it actually gets better as it sits!
It’s spicy and salty but the mango adds the perfect amount of sweetness, and the mixture of textures is out of this world! I make homemade wonton strips for a garnish and add a little extra Sriracha because a little extra spice is never a bad thing. I find that there is no need for dressing for this salad (which I love not having to add an extra step) but you can always add a little sesame oil and/or soy sauce or maybe a creamy peanut sauce would be fantastic!
![]()
Mango Cashew Chicken Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Total Time: 40 min
Cashew Chicken with a summery twist: served with fresh, sweet diced mango on a bed of mixed greens. Super simple and over-the-top flavorful!
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup cashews + more for garnish
3 cups shredded or cubed chicken (I used one rotisserie chicken)
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. Sriracha + more for garnish
6 cups Romaine &/or butter lettuce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 mango, cubed
Wonton strips for serving (see note below)Directions:
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until tender and fragrant. Add the bell pepper, cashews, salt & pepper and ginger. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the bell pepper is soft.
Stir in the chicken, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sriracha and cook until everything is combined. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Mix the greens (I use about half Romaine and half butter lettuce mix) with the cilantro in a large bowl. Serve the cooked cashew chicken mixture over the greens/cilantro mix, and top with the cubed mango, additional cashews and/or Sriracha and wonton strips.
Cassie’s Notes:
I have used store-bought wonton strips but I much prefer to make them myself. Here’s what I do:
Take 12 wonton wrappers and cut them in half, and then cut each half into strips – I get 8 strips out of one wrapper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the cut strips with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and ground ginger (about 1/4 teaspoon each) and then toss to combine. Bake for 8-10 minutes, tossing frequently, until golden brown.Inspired by How Sweet Eats
This is exactly the food I crave in the summer. Love the idea of making this for lunches. Pinning!
Such a perfect summertime salad — love it!
This would be a salad that all of us could eat. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
This looks like the kind of salad I could eat every day and still be happy 🙂
This is the definition of summer salad. I feel like I can practically taste it already!
This salad is a perfect summer meal!
Cassie, this looks fantastic. You’re right, making din din on a hot summer night sounds kind of low on my list of to-do’s also. And I also find that if a salad had enough goodies, especially a juicy fruit like mango, it doesn’t even need dressing.
I would love this! Great job!
I have a similar salad post drafted right now-can’t get enough of the cashew / mango combo! Need to try this version next!
I’d happily eat this salad with you, love the mangoes and cashews!
love love love this!… chicken and Mango go so well toghether
Definitely a salad that could fill me up! Delish!
I love a good salad and this has that whole savory and sweet combo I LOVE… and plus, it calls for Sriracha! <3
This salad looks amazing, Cassie!!
I love to add fruits to my salads and the mango paired with the hot sauce sounds so fabulous!
I love the flavor combinations you chose. Sweet, Savory, and Spicy, how can you go wrong with that,
What about pineapple instead of mango…..not a fan of mango.
Cassie replied: — July 21st, 2014 @ 5:10 pm
Hi Diane, I think pineapple would be a great alternative to the mango. Or just leave out the fruit if you wish. Enjoy!