While I love to go all out when hosting dinner parties, I often opt to throw together a casual, one pot meal when close friends come over. This was the case a few weekends ago, when an old friend from high school and I caught up over a meal of chicken, Israeli couscous, and vegetables; the no-fuss dish seemed to set a relaxed tone for the rest of the evening.
Although the recipe was straightforward and basic, I couldn't have been more impressed by the result. The chicken was so tender, it fell apart at the bone, and I loved the fact that the plump couscous was tinged with fragrant lemon peel and saffron. To make this for your friends, read more.
From Martha Stewart Living
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (4 to 6 thighs)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 Roma or plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), cut lengthwise into 6 slices
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
4 strips lemon peel (2 inches each)
Pinch of saffron
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1-1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add couscous, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, and return skillet to heat.
- Cook chicken, smooth side down, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip, and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate, reserving drippings in skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium, add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, lemon peel, and saffron, and cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes begin to break down, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Return chicken to skillet. Add wine, and cook for 4 minutes. Add stock, salt, and couscous, and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until couscous is tender and chicken is cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in peas, and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately with lemon.
Serves 4.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: 446 calories, 3g saturated fat, 9g unsaturated fat, 86mg cholesterol, 45g carbohydrate, 342mg sodium, 32g protein, 9g fiber
Print recipe with images | without images






Celine
Givenchy
Charlotte Olympia
It looks and sounds so good! I'm definitely going to try this!
1I'm confused, the recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts and the picture shows chicken with skin and bone? It sounds delicious, but what kind of chicken?
2This looked so good I made it for lunch, only with rice instead of couscous, since that's what I had. Very yummy, but I would suggest seasoning the chicken before cooking for a little more flavor.
3wow im def book marking this one!
4I made this for dinner using chicken thighs. It was delicious!!!
5@cupcake345 - Check the recipe now -- hopefully it should work. In case it doesn't, the recipe calls for 1-1/2 pounds (4 to 6) chicken thighs, though if you only eat white meat, you could use chicken breast instead.
6making this tonight! i LOVE one pot meals. So easy
7The squishy chicken skin in the picture kinda grosses me out but the recipe looks pretty good.
8Looks interesting....
9Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.