Chipotle Mango Barbeque Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri

Anyone else on a fun new diet for a new year's resolution, or just to start removing some of those extra pounds we worked so hard to gain over the holidays??  

Well hubby and I started the 17-day Diet (All you can eat lean meat and veggies for the first 17 days, and few to no carbs - let me know if you want more info).  We did this last year in prep for the wedding, and it actually worked really well for us.  However, I'm still not that excited about it.  We are now on day 3. I have not had a glass of wine in 3 days.  I know it's good for me, blah blah blah... but I like a little wine and cheese every now and then.  Oh, and bread too!!  

Anywho... here is my first official blog post as part of the 17-day diet.  And, if I may say so myself, this meal was DELICIOUS.  

Dieting really isn't all that bad if you get to eat meals like this every day.  I made the marinade during my lunch hour, and it was a snap to finish up dinner last night after work.  Mikey got to grill, so everyone was a winner.  

Oh, and we miraculously still have fresh parsley growing in the garden out back, so hooorah, I only had to buy cilantro!  (It's the small pleasures in life that count!)

Printable Recipe HERE

Ingredients
1 bag frozen mangoes, slightly defrosted
1 1/4 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro, not chopped, stems and all
3 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon sauce from the can
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 large pack chicken breasts (4-5), trimmed and cut in half (I do this for portion control, and it takes less time to cook!)

Chimichurri 
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 scallions, white parts only
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Prepare the chicken: 
Put the mangoes, cilantro, chipotles, adobo sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning to taste. 

Toss the chicken with half of the mango mixture in a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to marinate. 

Put the other half of the mango mixture in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set 1/3 of the simmered mango sauce aside for serving and use the rest for basting. 

Preheat a grill to medium and spray with cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill. Grill the chicken for about 10 - 12 minutes per side, turning once, and basting with the simmered mango sauce during the last 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the chimichurri: 
Combine the cilantro, parsley, scallions, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop.  Slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil while the food processor is on the lowest speed until the chimichurri looks similar to a pesto: combined, but not completely pureed.

We served the chicken with some of the chimichurri and a few pine nuts on top, and some nice green spears of grilled Broccoli with a Dijon vinaigrette.