A couple of weeks ago I arrived at my Bountiful Baskets site with a plan and a purpose.  I had contributed for mangoes and I had purchased and prepped everything I needed to make one of our favorite condiments Sweet and Spicy Mango Chutney.  However, when I arrived and got my hands on one of the lovely mangoes, visions of my chutney flew right out the window.  The recipe requires firm, slightly under-ripe mangoes and what I had would not work at all.  These mangoes felt very ripe and soft, almost mushy  to the touch.  I was worried about what I would discover once I opened them up but, pulling out my trusty paring knife (a Saturday morning must for the savvy BB participant) I discovered they were absolutely beautiful- just very ripe and ready to use right away.  Relieved to know the quality was good, I immediately accepted the box and began working on a creative way to use up my very ripe treasures.

My first thought was to slice up, freeze in baggies, and use for smoothies.  And, in fact, that is the fate that found several of them.  But, the majority of the mangoes had a far more prestigious destiny.  These mangoes were transformed into our new favorite condiment: Chipotle Mango Bar-B-Que sauce.  This smooth sauce has a lovely mango-sweetness that lulls the tongue into a false sense of security.  But just as the taster starts to think “Hmmm, this could do with a bit more kick” the chipotle sneaks up and bites with a heat that leaves the taste buds begging for more.  This sauce is FABULOUS on grilled chicken but is very versatile and could be used on just about any meat.  Use as a marinade, slather it on during grilling, or serve up as a dipping sauce- Chipotle Mango Bar-B-que sauce will be a hit however you present it (just beware you may find yourself cleaning the bowl; it is finger-lickin’ good.)