Chicken & couscous one-pot
By Barney Desmazery
Cooking time
Prep: 10 mins Cook: 1 hrSkill level
EasyServings
Serves 4This one-pot meal is perfect for fuss-free midweek entertaining
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition per serving
- kcalories
- 900
- protein
- 60g
- carbs
- 42g
- fat
- 56g
- saturates
- 15g
- fibre
- 2g
- sugar
- 5g
- salt
- 1.75g
Ingredients
- 8 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 500ml chicken stock (from a cube is fine)
- large handful whole green olives
- zest and juice 1 lemon
- 250g couscous
- small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
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Method
- Toss the chicken thighs in half the spices and a pinch of salt until completely coated. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large sauté pan with a lid. Fry chicken, skin-side down, for 10 mins until golden brown, turn over, then cook for 2 mins before removing from the pan. Pour the rest of the oil into the pan, then fry the onions and garlic for 8 mins until golden. Stir in the rest of the spices, then cook for 1 min longer. Pour over the chicken stock and scatter in the olives. Bring everything to the boil, turn down the heat, then sit the chicken, skinside up, in the stock.
- Cover the pan with a lid, then simmer gently for 35-40 mins until the chicken is tender. Put the kettle on, then lift the chicken onto a plate and keep warm. Take the pan off the heat. Stir the lemon juice and couscous into the saucy onions in the pan and top up with enough boiling water just to cover the couscous if you need to. Place the lid back on the pan, then leave to stand for 5 mins until the couscous is cooked through. Fluff through half the parsley and the lemon zest, then sit the chicken on top. Scatter with the rest of the parsley and zest before serving.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2009
Comments, questions and tips
Comments
We cooked this recipe trying out the garam masala powder bought directly from Sri Lanka...the end result was amazing! We also added a 425grms can of chickpeas (garbanzo) beans to boost up a bit the protein. However, instead of simmering all ingredients in the pan (last part of recipe), we put everything in an oven-proof dish and cooked in the convection oven at 210 degrees for 40mins. We loved the way the couscous soaked up the excess liquid in the end.
Leftovers will be served in a warmed pitta bread with added grilled mushrooms and coloured peppers. Will surely repeat recipe when entertaining guests who love spicy food!
I thought this dish was really tasty but agree with Carol above that the cous cous was too soggy. I'm glad that I wasn't serving this up for guests as it looked sloppy. I would probably sieve the onion mix and add the liquid as required to a separate bowl of cous cous to ensure that it is light and fluffy. The fresh lemon is lovely.
Cooked this dish this evening and was disappointed with the result. Couscous was a little too wet ....and didn't add the extra liquid that could be added. Flavour was a little bland. Other family members said it was Ok! When you spend so long preparing and cooking you hope for the wow factor. Sorry but this didn't do it! Perhaps lacks some extra seasoning or spice. Used skin on chicken breasts, and added some sundried tomatoes in with the couscous. Probably tastes better next day, when flavours have absorbed.
Really enjoyed the flavours in this recipe. I left out olives but added some courgette and carrot and 1 tsp of honey to give it a tagine/Moroccan feel and used some tomato and garlic couscous and it was delicious.
I simmered the chicken in the stock for about 40 minutes and it just fell apart, very tender and moist.
A very easy recipe to follow with the flexibility to adapt to your tastes, will definitely keep this in my binder.
