Lime Chicken Bowls with Tigernut Sauce

By the third or fourth bowl of protein and vegetables this week, they start blurring into each other, and that flatness is real. It's a normal cost of the elimination phase, nothing you're doing wrong in the kitchen. This one is built to break the pattern. The chicken sits in lime juice, garlic, and avocado oil before it ever hits the pan, the vegetables stay raw and crunchy instead of another round of steamed, and a tigernut sauce with real ginger bite pulls the whole bowl together.

There's a real dose of vitamin C and beta-carotene in the raw kale and red cabbage here, both part of the ordinary maintenance an immune system needs to stay level instead of overreactive. The avocado is doing something specific alongside them: its fat is the reason your body can actually absorb the fat-soluble nutrients in all that raw green. This bowl works as a real system on the plate, the fat unlocking what the greens are holding.

Despite the name, tigernuts are small tubers, and the flour they produce makes a sauce with a mild, earthy sweetness that holds its own in place of peanut. Slice the chicken, an animal that fed you well, over the top, fan the avocado out properly, and let the bowl earn a real seat at the table before you eat it.

Ingredients

Lime-marinated chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt

Bowls:

• 1 cup dino kale, chopped
• 1/2 cup red cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, julienned or shredded
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 lime wedges

Tigernut sauce:

• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos (used in place of soy sauce)
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce (clean-label, no additives)
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp tigernut flour
• 1 tbsp water

Method

Combine the lime juice, avocado oil, minced garlic, and salt in a shallow bowl or zip-lock bag. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours for deeper flavor.

While the chicken marinates, make the tigernut sauce. Whisk together the avocado oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce, apple cider vinegar, grated ginger, tigernut flour, and water in a small bowl until smooth and emulsified. The sauce should be pourable; add a little more water if it is too thick. Set aside.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat lightly dry. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165F. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Divide the kale and red cabbage between two bowls. Add the shredded carrot, green onions, and cilantro. Fan the avocado slices on the side and tuck in the lime wedges.

Lay the sliced chicken over the top of each bowl. Drizzle generously with the tigernut sauce. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.

*Adapted from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP*