Ayo Chicken Yassa Review

Ayo Chicken Yassa

We recently spotted the Ayo Chicken Yassa at our local co-op, and we were immediately intrigued. Maybe it’s the blessing of Chef Eric Adjepong that caught our eye, or maybe it was just the brightly colored packaging. But either way, we thought we’d give this frozen dish a try.

According to the package, this is an example of authentic West African cuisine, and it has a mild spice level. None of our reviewers has ever been to Africa, so we can’t comment on the authenticity of the meal. We can, however, talk about the spice level.

First, though, we must cook this. The process ends up having a little bit of a snag in it, as the film that’s surrounding the meal must be removed. But then you also have to cover the top of the bowl while the meal cooks. We plopped a plate over the top of this, but we think that just using a microwave-safe film would be a better solution; that is what most other frozen foods do, after all. (If you want to see the full cooking instructions, check out the package scans at the bottom of this review.)

Ayo Chicken Yassa

When we first pulled this out of the microwave, we were a little bit concerned about the color. This has a sickly yellow color that looks kind of unappetizing.

However, the flavor is incredible. The marinated chicken is loaded with a particular flavor that is hard to describe. It’s almost fruity, with some sweetness and tartness to it. The chicken itself is tender enough that it shreds easily, but if you try to eat all the chicken in a single bite, it might start to feel a little too tough. So don’t do that.

There are also caramelized onions and bits of lemon in the mix. We didn’t notice the onions all that much, but the lemons really make this pop, perhaps contributing to the tartness we mentioned earlier.

The jasmine rice is a heavier, stickier rice than we were expecting, because we’ve been eating a lot of basmati rice, which is a lot lighter and looser. But we have to admit that jasmine is an excellent choice for this particular meal. The density of the rice allows you to get your fork fully loaded with food of varying textures in a single bite. Plus, it makes this a little more filling than it would be otherwise.

So how spicy is this? Well, today’s reviewer tends to be kind of sensitive to spice, and they found this to be barely noticeable. So if you’re looking for super spice levels, this ain’t it, fam.

Now, we have some good news and bad news. The good news is that this is incredibly low in sodium for a frozen meal, with just 100 mg. It’s also loaded up with protein. On the other hand, it’s also loaded with calories, with 530 calories per serving. That’s kind of a lot.

The Ayo Chicken Yassa is an astonishingly good frozen meal, with a lot of protein and a low sodium level. We were surprised by just how dang good this meal is, and we’ve already gone back to the co-op to pick up more. We really love this, and we can’t wait to see what else the Ayo brand has in store for us.

To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this frozen meal, check out our package scans below.

Ayo Chicken Yassa
Ayo Chicken Yassa
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Jeff
Jeff
5 months ago

I am a big fan of the Ayo frozen meals. So good!

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