Grilled Chicken Breast with Mango Pepper BBQ Sauce

I have to confess that I buy very little in the way of barbeque sauces.  In fact, the three main ones I buy occasionally are Dianna Sauce and Sweet Baby Ray's simply because I have not cloned them yet.  The bottom line is, homemade barbeques sauces are fresher and can be tailored to your taste buds while saving you a bundle of money.  I understand wanting the convenience of a ready to use bbq sauce though so what I do is work on a recipe until it is just right, then home can it.  That gives me the convenience, cost saving and a lovely, preservative free product that is ready to use.  This is the time of year I like to start experimenting with bbq sauces that may make it to the canning pot.

Mango goes nicely with pork, poultry and fish.  Since chicken was on sale I decided to prep a couple of the chicken breasts for the grill.  This is the time of year here where mangos are fairly inexpensive as well so using them to make a bbq sauce made a lot of sense.

This tasty sauce takes a bit more work but it is worth it.  The sauce would have to be thinned somewhat for home canning and I would pressure can it.  The mango pepper bbq sauce will more likely be a sauce I make fresh to use when mangos are in season.

Mango Pepper BBQ Sauce
inspired by: Better Homes and Gardens, New Grilling Book, 2005., Pp. 35.

1 c red sweet peppers, chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1 mango, seeded, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
¼ tsp chili powder
1 tbsp green pepper, finely chopped

Heat oil in non-stick skillet.  Stir in peppers and onion.  Cook until just tender.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Bring to a low boil.  Reduce the heat then simmer about 10 minutes.  Cool mixture.  Pour into food processor bowl.  Process until smooth.  Brush on meat or poultry during the last 10 minutes of grilling.

Once you start making your own bbq sauces you will seriously be amazed at how easy and inexpensive it is.  I served the grilled chicken breast with mango pepper bbq sauce with a zucchini boat stuffed with grilled grape tomatoes, carrots and mushrooms as well as a grilled beet.  What is nice about this meal is the absence of starches aka low carb (eg. potatoes, pasta, rice) giving it a nice, clean, healthy approach.  It was very low fat as well with less than a quarter ounce of fresh grated Parmesan cheese used as a garnish and flavour boost.  Beets roasted on the grill are simply delicious too!  All away around, this healthy meal was a real family approved pleaser!

Sweet Baby Ray's Onion Burger

We love to go to ribfests.  Not only is there great food to be had combined with the wonderful social element, they are one of the best places to meet award winning ribbers.  Where there are award winning ribbers there is award winning barbeque sauce.  Quite often the sauce is available only at the ribber's booth but every once in awhile the sauce will make it into commercial production.  Even then the sauce may be only regional.    Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce was a family recipe that entered into one of the largest ribfests (rib cookoff) in 1985 by Chef Larry Raymond.  The sauce was named after the Chef's brother David who's nickname playing basketball on Chicago's West Side was Sweet Baby Ray.  Larry, David and a friend Mike took the sauce commercial the following year. 

My husband's signature dish is his famous homemade grilled burgers.  They are specatular!  I'm usually in charge of the toppings so they end up being burgers with attitude.  They are the absolute when it comes to burgers.

A couple of nights a go he made his famous grilled burgers then mopped with Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce.  The thick, juicy burgers were topped with grated cheddar cheese and caramelized onions served with dill pickle spears.  They were delicious, mouthwatering, packed full of flavour burgers!