‘Things on hummus’ is one of my favourite go-to meals.
I love how the hummus doubles as a comfy accompaniment and a tasty sauce. Like mashed potato but with loads more flavour and none of the blood sugar crashes. Actually in my opinion it’s a million times better than mashed potato.
While my Irishman loves my hummus meals, I wouldn’t ever make him choose between hummmus and mashed spuds though because that would be sacrilegious.
Anyway back to this little dish. The avocado based sauce goes incredibly well with gently spiced chicken and some toasted pine nuts. I’ve kept it in a Middle Eastern-ish vibe with cumin and paprika, but it would be equally delicious with and Indian curry powder or a bit more spice with some Mexican chipotle chilli powder.
And of course you can always use store bought hummus instead of making your own.
Spiced Chicken with Avo 'Hummus'
Ingredients
- 450 g chicken thigh or breast fillets
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 200 g avo hummus or other hummus
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon roast pine nuts
Instructions
-
Slice chicken into bite sized strips. In a medium bowl combine cumin, paprika, 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt. Toss in the chicken to coat. If you have time to marinate longer pop in the fridge for up to a day before cooking. But I generally just go straight to the next step.
-
Heat a large frying pan on a high heat. Add the spiced oiled chicken and cook, stirring often for a few minutes or until the chicken is browned on the outside and no longer pink in the middle. Remove from the heat.
-
Divide hummus between 2 plates. Top with spiced chicken, drizzling over any oil from the pan.
-
Plonk baby spinach on the side of the plate and scatter over the toasted pine nuts.
Recipe Video
NET CARBS 5g/100g
Variations & Substitutions
pantry-friendly – use commercial hummus + frozen baby beans as the green veg.
vegetarian – boiled or poached eggs drizzled with the spiced oil are amazing with hummus. Or use chickpeas or other cooked legumes. Eggplant, bell peppers (capsicum) and zucchini cooked in the spiced oil would be another excellent option – serve with extra nuts or some feta for extra protein.
different protein – see the vegetarian options. Any ground (minced) meat will work or lamb chops or pork chops or salmon fillets or even sausages.
nut-free – use toasted seeds instead or crumble feta or goats cheese on top. Or use some roast peppers from a jar.
more substantial (carb lovers) – pita or tortillas or roast sweet potato chips.
more substantial (low carb) – extra nuts, different nuts, zucchini tortillas.
no hummus – make a quick sauce mixing half tahini half greek yoghurt.
more fancy / for entertaining – serve with tabbouleh or this kale salad instead of just plonking the baby spinach on the plate. And some fresh herbs like mint, basil or coriander (cilantro) or even chopped chives or dill will work.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
chicken thigh or breast fillets – freeze them.
ground cumin / smoked paprika / pine nuts – keep them in the pantry.
avo hummus – will keep in the fridge for a few days, can be frozen.
other hummus – will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. Can be frozen.
baby spinach – either freeze or wilt down in a pan with a little oil and then keep in the fridge for weeks.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt! A squeeze of lemon or lime. Or add in a flavour bomb.
too dry – overcooked chicken. Next time get it out earlier. For now a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil will help.
sticking to the pan – next time make sure your pan is hot before adding the oiled chicken. For now remove from the heat and stirring in a splash of water will help it release.
Prepare Ahead
You can. Just cook as per the recipe but keep the cooked chicken, hummus, pine nuts and baby spinach separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week or can be frozen. To serve, warm chicken in a pan with a little oil then serve as per recipe.
More recipes like Spiced Chicken with Avo ‘Hummus’
- Spiced Chicken with Ginger Almond Sauce
- Spiced Roast Chicken & Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Maple Dressing
- Golden Chicken Pie
- Green Chicken Bowls with Pine Nut Mayo
- Amrita’s Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Salsa
With love,
Jules x
Great flavor for the wings. I cooked them in a cast iron skillet on top of the stove, pouring the combined marinade ingredients over them.
Brilliant idea to use wings!