Avocado Mango Salsa + Honey Mustard Chicken

I served this salsa with leftover honey mustard chicken (recipe below). The sweetness of the mango brought out the subtle honey glaze on the chicken and the avocado and onion add a deeply savory note. The cilantro adds great freshness...you really can't have enough of it. The salsa is cool, light and creamy; I could absolutely eat it straight out of the bowl like I would a bowl of ice cream.

Avocado mango salsa
serves 2-4

juice of 1 lime
1 ripe mango
2 ripe avocados
half small onion, fine dice
handful cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

• Squeeze lime juice into a medium bowl
• Cut mango into cubes: 1) A mango has a flatish oblong pit in the center of it. Your goal is to cut along the sides of the pit, separating the flesh from the pit. Holding the mango with one hand, stand it on its end, stem side down. With a sharp knife in your other hand, cut from the top of the mango, down one side of the pit as close to the center (pit) as possible. Then repeat with the other side. You should end up with three pieces - two halves, and a middle section that includes the pit. 2) Take a mango half and use a knife to make lengthwise and crosswise cuts in it, but try not to cut through the peel. Turn the mango inside out so that the flesh of the mango protrudes. 3) Use a small paring knife to cut away the pieces from the peel. Finally, I like to pick up and eat the bit of mango left on the pit (it gets a touch messy and makes me feel like a kid again:), but you can use a knife to cut it off and add to your salsa. Add cubed fruit to bowl with lime juice.

• Cut avocado into cubes: halve each avocado, remove the pit and, as you did with the mango, use a knife to make lengthwise and crosswise cuts in the flesh. In this case, use a spoon to scoop out the avocado into the bowl with the mango.
• Add onion and cilantro to mango and avocado and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you don't eat right away, add one of the avocado pits to the bowl and use plastic wrap to top the salsa directly (the plastic wrap should touch the mixture). These methods will keep the avocado from oxidizing (as will the acid in the lime juice).
• Enjoy!

Honey mustard chicken
serves 4

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or, if you don't want to break down the chicken, buy the pieces that you prefer)
1/8 cup olive oil
salt
1/2 cup honey
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 t pepper

• Preheat oven to 400, place rack in middle position and line a baking sheet with foil (it'll make fo a much easier clean up).
  
• On a baking sheet, toss chicken with oil and salt, place skin side down and bake. Remove the breasts and wings after 2o minutes and continue to cook the legs and thighs for 5 more minutes.
  
• While the chicken is baking, combine the honey, mustard, pepper and a pinch salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
  
• Remove chicken from oven and transfer to platter. Discard the fat from the baking sheet. (This is super important because the excess fat will smoke in the broiler and likely set off your fire alarm.)
  
• Preheat broiler
• Toss chicken with honey mustard and place on baking sheet skin side down. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook 4-5 minutes longer. During last 5 minutes, check every couple of minutes because the glaze will burn quickly. Remove from broiler and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Chicken is great hot or at room temperature.
• Enjoy!