Mango salsa complements pan-roasted chicken dish

Chicken with chunky mango salsa makes a sweet and spicy summer dinner. Juicy, sweet mangoes are in season through September. Mangoes make delicious desserts, but I also add them to salads and use them to make tasty condiments for cooked meats.

Mangoes continue to ripen after they are picked. Keep them at room temperature until they yield to gentle pressure. To speed up the ripening, place mangoes in a covered bowl or paper bag.

The recipe calls for mango cubes. Here is a quick way to make them: Slice off each side of the mango as close to the seed as possible. Take the mango half in your hand, skin-side down. Score the fruit in a crisscross pattern through to the skin. Bend the skin backward so the cubes pop up. Slice the cubes away from the skin. Score and slice any fruit left on the pit.

With the sweet fruit, this meal would go well with a German spatlese Riesling.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Chunky Mango Salsa

1 cup mango cubes (about 1/4 -inch dice)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped red onion

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 tablespoon)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (divided use)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces total)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

To make salsa, place mango cubes in a medium-size bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Add onion and jalapeno. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and the lime juice together and drizzle over ingredients. Add salt to taste. Toss well and sprinkle with cilantro.

Remove fat from chicken and pound it flat to about 1/4 -inch with a meat mallet or the bottom of a sturdy frying pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin evenly over the meat.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet on medium-high. Cook chicken 3 minutes. Turn and cook 3 minutes more, or until meat registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate and serve with salsa on top.

Yield: 2 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 331 calories, 9.5 grams fat (1.6 grams saturated, 26 percent fat calories), 40.7 grams protein, 20.5 grams carbohydrate, 96 milligrams cholesterol, 3.1 grams dietary fiber, 114 milligrams sodium.

Hot Peanut Rice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

2 tablespoons roasted, unsalted peanuts

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 scallion, trimmed and sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add onion and rice. Sauté 2 minutes, tossing to coat rice with oil. Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer 15 minutes, until rice is cooked through and liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, place peanuts in a small bowl and sprinkle with cayenne. When rice is cooked, stir in peanuts and scallions. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 2 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 270 calories (8.2 grams fat, 27 percent fat calories), 6.5 grams protein, 43 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 2.4 grams fiber, 98 milligrams sodium.