Nigella Lawson’s Easy Chicken Salad Is Summer On a Plate—It’s My New Favorite

I’ve been a fan of Nigella Lawson since her debut on US television in the early 2000s, when I was a teenager. Now I’m the same age she was in those early episodes of Nigella Bites. I get a little emotional thinking about being at a similar stage in life as she was, taking care of my young kids and buzzing around trying to get everything done. And, like her, I strive to set aside time and brain space to enjoy the pleasure of food amidst all the chaos of the everyday grind.

If I get a moment to myself at home in the middle of the day, you can bet I’m going to take a little extra care in making my lunch. Bright, fresh salads are my favorite thing to make just for me, and Nigella’s Chicken, Mango, and Chilli Salad is now at the top of my list! 

How To Make Nigella’s Chicken, Mango, and Chilli Salad

This chicken salad is a quick and very delicious lunch that can be tossed together in minutes. There’s no vinaigrette to whisk up. You just add lime juice to a bowl with chopped mangoes, green onions, and red chilies. Then you toss in chopped chicken breast, lettuce, and cilantro and finish the dish with a small drizzle of vegetable oil and a few drops of toasted sesame oil. It’s a snap, and it’s scrumptious. 

My Tips for Making Nigella’s Chicken, Mango, and Chilli Salad

I made sure to watch the video clip where Nigella prepares the salad in her cooking show, Forever Summer, in case she offered any useful tips. It was helpful to see what she meant by “red chillis”—or as we spell them, “chiles”—since UK ingredients are a little different from those in the US. We don’t really have anything similar in grocery stores here, but maybe a Fresno chile would be closest, if you can find them in season!

In any case, I subbed a generous pinch of piment d’Espelette, brought to me by a friend visiting from France last month. It seemed like something Nigella would do, and it added just the level of heat that I wanted. You could substitute any mild chile flakes.

In the video, Nigella adds a good pinch of salt. I thought it was odd not to include it in the online version! It helps bring out the chicken’s savory flavor and offset the mango’s sweetness.

While I usually serve chicken salad with crackers and sliced cucumbers, or as a wrap or sandwich, this one can be a meal all by itself. A whole head of gem lettuce makes for a big, voluminous bowl of salad for one. If you want it to be portable, wrapping it up in lavash, pita, or a burrito-size tortilla would be a great way to go.

What To Do If You Can’t Find Fresh Mangoes

With summer just around the corner, I’m ready to revisit Nigella Summer to find some more gems. The book’s premise is actually to share some recipes you can enjoy in the summertime or as a serotonin boost in colder months, to summon up some summer joy. Nigella recognizes that we can’t all shop seasonally all the time, and a bright, fresh, uplifting meal has year-round appeal.

For this particular salad, the mangoes would be the only tricky thing to source out of season, but I think it’d be great with orange segments or chopped apples instead. Either way, the tangy combination of lime and cilantro gets my brain in a happy, warm-weather mood. Good vibes all around!