Boko boko

Name: Boko boko
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: 300 g whole wheat berries, soaked overnight; 1 kg chicken pieces, skin-on, bone-in pieces; 1 onion, halved; 1 stick cinnamon; 4 cardamom, lightly crushed; 2 l water; 1½ tsp salt; 40 g ghee; ½ tsp cumin (optional)

Non-vegetarian

Whole wheat berries and chicken slow-cooked together and beaten into a smooth, savoury porridge scented with cinnamon and topped with melted ghee. Festive food for Eid and weddings in Burundi and along the Swahili coast.

Boko boko is a Burundian porridge, ready in about 2 hours 45 minutes and made with whole wheat berries and chicken pieces, skin-on. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 h 30 min
Total: 2 h 45 min
Serves: 6
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 589

Plus overnight soaking of the wheat.

Ingredients

6 servings

300 g Whole wheat berries (opens in a new tab), soaked overnightSwap: Bulgur wheat (Coarse bulgur needs no soaking and cooks in about 1 hour.)Contains wheat, gluten
1 kg Chicken pieces, skin-on (opens in a new tab), bone-in piecesSwap: Goat meat
1 (110 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), halved
1 stick (3 g) Cinnamon (opens in a new tab)
4 (1 g) Cardamom (opens in a new tab), lightly crushed
2 l Water (opens in a new tab)
1½ tsp (9 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
40 g Ghee (opens in a new tab)Swap: ButterContains milk
½ tsp (1 g) Cumin (opens in a new tab) (optional)Sprinkled on top.

Equipment

Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Simmer the chicken with the onion (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab), salt and water until the meat falls off the bone. Lift out the chicken, discard bones and skin, and shred the meat.
- 50 min
- medium-low heat
- Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C.
2
Step 2
Add the drained wheat to the broth and simmer, stirring regularly and adding water if needed, until the grains burst and are very soft.
- 90 min
- low heat
A pressure cooker cuts this to about 35 minutes.
3
Step 3
Return the chicken and beat hard with a wooden spoon (or a stick blender, briefly) until the porridge is thick, smooth and stretchy.
- 10 min
- low heat
4
Step 4
Serve in bowls topped with hot melted ghee (opens in a new tab) and a pinch of cumin (opens in a new tab).
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedAn East African adaptation of Arabian harees, eaten especially by Muslim communities in Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya.Also popular in Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Porridge & cereals · Main courses
Cooking method: Simmered, Slow-cooked
Taste: savoury, mild, buttery, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet: No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration · One-pot · Make-ahead
Cook more with: Whole wheat berries · Chicken pieces, skin-on · Onion · Cinnamon · Cardamom · Ghee
Techniques: Simmering

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom ghee
Contains: Wheatfrom whole wheat berries
Contains: Glutenfrom whole wheat berries

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

589 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 577 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 25%
Carbohydrate 25%
Fat 49%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	589 kcal	102 kcal
Protein	37.6 g	6.5 g
Carbohydrate	37.8 g	6.5 g
Net carbohydrate	31.1 g	5.4 g
Sugars	1 g	0.2 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	6.7 g	1.2 g
Fat	32.5 g	5.6 g
Saturated fat	11.5 g	2 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	142 mg	25 mg
Sodium	708 mg	123 mg
Salt equivalent	1.8 g	0.3 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 527 mg
Calcium: 77 mg
Iron: 3.2 mg
Magnesium: 105 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 124 µg
Vitamin C: 4 mg
Vitamin D: 0.3 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.5 µg
Folate (DFE): 33 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: cumin.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Ghee is usually bought; make your own by melting butter slowly until the milk solids turn golden, then straining.

Common mistakes

Not beating long enough — boko boko should be smooth and stretchy, not grainy.

Serve with

Sprinkle with sugar or serve with chilli sauce, depending on family taste.

Storage

Keeps 3 days refrigerated; freezes well.

Reheating

Reheat with a little water, stirring well.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Whole wheat berries, soaked overnight300 g
Chicken pieces, skin-on, bone-in pieces1 kg · 1000 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

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