Mango season is one of my favorite seasons in Hawaii. Mangoes pair well with both savory and sweet dishes which is a good thing because a single tree can bear hundreds of mangoes!
A common misconception is that honeybees pollinate the mango trees. If you look at a mango tree that's flowering, you'll see that the flowers are very tiny. Most of the pollination is taken care of by flies and stingless bees (check out our related bee blog post: Do all Bees Make Honey).
This mango-based sauce makes a great barbecue sauce for grilled or roasted chicken. For this recipe, I've included directions for roasting the chicken in the oven. If you prefer to grill, just baste on the chicken while grilling.
The Wilelaiki honey in this recipe acts as an emulsifier in addition to adding sweet and spice to the flavor.
Ingredients:
For the Sauce:
- 1 medium mango, sliced
- 2 jalapenos, halved and seeded
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 3 tbsp Organic Wilelaiki honey
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp kosher or Hawaiian salt
For the Protein:
- 1 lb of chicken drumsticks (or your choice of meat)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Place mango, onion and jalapenos on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Put in preheated oven and roast until soft, about 15 minutes.
- Remove roasted mango, jalapenos and onions from oven and put in a blender. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the chicken) and blend until smooth.
- Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and place on roasting pan in the oven. Let the chicken cook 20 minutes or until about half-way done.
- Use the blended mango sauce to baste on chicken legs as they are roasting (or grilling if on grill). Remove from oven when chicken is browned and tender about 45 minutes to an hour.
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