Chicken and Fonio with Herb-Avocado Cream

Chicken, fonio, and a green, creamy dressing are all you need for a light, nutritious and refreshing meal. This chicken and fonio platter with herb avocado cream is easy to make, healthy, and can be assembled in various ways, including as a salad.

What is fonio?

Fonio is a super grain native to West Africa. Besides being a lectin-free and gluten-free grain, fonio is a nutritional powerhouse.

It’s a good source of B vitamins, iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium and an excellent source of essential amino acids, specifically rich in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine.

What I found very interesting is that in some parts of Africa, fonio is used to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding mothers. This will make fonio an excellent alternative for oats, which are heavy in lectins, in the western world.

Due to its low glycemic index and load, fonio is a grain that people with type 2 diabetes can use in their diets. Its resistant starch content helps with keeping blood sugar levels stable.

Replace white rice with fonio for a more nutritious meal.

If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerances, fonio and fonio flour can successfully replace gluten-containing grains.

Read more about the 4 gut-healthy, lectin-free, and gluten-free grains.

Unfortunately, fonio is not that readily available, but I’m sure it will become more available as we understand its benefits for health and the environment. In the US, I love the Yolele brand, which you can find on Amazon.

Ingredients for this chicken and fonio platter

FOR THE FONIO:

• 2 cups fonio (1/4 cup per serving)
• 4 cups filtered water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

FOR THE CHICKEN:

• 4 servings of chicken breast (4oz per serving or depending on your macro requirements)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• more oil for cooking

FOR THE DRESSING:

• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 2-4 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs of fresh mint and (use the young stems too)
• 1 garlic clove or leaves of one spring garlic
• juice of 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons filtered water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (or more to taste)

FOR SERVING:

• Mixed sprouts, microgreens, or garden cress

How to make it

TO COOK THE FONIO: bring the water to a boil (the ratio of water to fonio is 2:1), add a pinch of salt to it. When the water is boiling, lower the heat to a minimum and add the fonio. It only needs 3 minutes to cook. Stir with the fork until all the water evaporates, take off the heat. Continue to stir with the fork to fluff it up. Let it rest while you make the chicken, it doesn’t need to be warm when served.

TO COOK THE CHICKEN: Rince and pat dry the chicken breast, drizzle with olive oil and lemon and sprinkle on all the spices. Rub well. Heat a skillet with some extra virgin olive oil, and add the chicken, cooking on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side to get a crust, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes more. It will depend on how big the chicken breasts are. If you are not sure when it is ready, cut with a knife in the thickest part and make sure it is no longer pink. Don’t overcook it, though, as it will get dry. Set on the side to rest.

TO MAKE THE AVOCADO CREAM: While the chicken is cooking, you can make the cream. Add all the ingredients to a blender and mix until creamy. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, and lime, if necessary.

TO ASSEMBLE THE DISH: Mix the millet with half of the cream. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. You can serve it as a bed for the chicken, or you can make some dumplings with the help of two big spoons (like in the picture). You can even chop the chicken and mix it with the fonio and microgreens and serve it as a salad.

Other serving suggestions for chicken and fonio

While the chicken and the fonio were served separately in this case, the ingredients together will make a great salad. Just cut the chicken into cubes, mix with the fonio, the creamy dressing, and the microgreens and serve as a salad.

This is a perfect salad for a summer garden party or a light dinner al fresco. You can also make this meal a takeaway lunch and serve it cold.

More chicken recipes

Check out our round-up: 27 Plant Paradox Recipes with Pasture-Raised Chicken, for more healthy chicken recipes.

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