Beet Red Fonio with Chicken and Avocado Crema
In this colorful dish, you’ll create a spread of nutty fonio, tinted a gorgeous Technicolor red by cooking it with all-natural beets.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast boneless and skinless
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons zest from 1 large lime zested and juiced ( you’ll use some juice for the crema)
Fonio
- 1 small beet peeled and diced to make 1/2 cup
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup fonio
Crema
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from above
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Trim the chicken breasts and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and turn to coat. Sprinkle with chipotle and salt and massage to distribute the spices evenly. Sprinkle with lime zest. Place the breasts on the sheet pan and roast for 20-25 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the fat part of a breast reads 165 F. Cool on a rack until cool enough to handle, then shred the chicken into strips. Keep warm, or cover and refrigerate until time to serve.
- For the fonio, place the water, beets and salt in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. When the beets are tender, add the olive oil, then gradually pour in the fonio, stirring constantly so there are no lumps. Cover the pan and take off the heat, let stand for five minutes. Fluff the fonio with a fork.
- While the beets cook, place the lime juice, sour cream, avocado and salt in a blender, in order. Blend on lower speed until pureed, raising the speed to make a smooth sauce. Scrape down and repeat as needed to make a creamy puree.
- To serve, spread 3/4 cup fonio on a plate, then top with 1/4 of the chicken and about 1/4 cup crema. Garnish with cilantro and serve.