Recipe: Spiced Chicken with Pearl Couscous Salad and Yoghurt

By Dan Hutton on May 20, 2016 in

Shake up your mid-week meal with this Middle Eastern spiced chicken dish. Fall in love with the texture of the Israeli couscous, which is teamed with tender kale and sweet semi-dried tomatoes. Serve it with a dollop of creamy Greek yoghurt and you’ll have a meal that’s sure to spice up any night.

Cooking time
20 minutes

Ingredients:
300g chicken thigh fillets
Spiced chicken mix (1tsp smoked paprika,1tsp ground coriander, 1tsp dried oregano)
8 16cm bamboo skewers
40g (⅓ cup) slivered almonds
100g kale
150g (1 cup) Israeli pearl couscous
40g semi-dried tomatoes
1 lemon
150g Greek yoghurt
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Marinate chicken
Cut the chicken into 3 centimetre cubes and place in a large bowl. Combine the spiced chicken mix, 1½ tablespoons of oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the chicken. Toss to coat. Juice half the lemon and cut the other half into wedges.

Prepare chicken and almonds
Put the bamboo skewers in a tray and cover them with water to soak. Put the almonds in a cold frying pan over a medium heat. Toast, shaking the pan for 3 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside. Trim the kale leaves, discarding the stems and main vein, then finely shred.

Cook couscous
Bring 2 litres of water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and the couscous. Cook the couscous for 20 minutes until al dente then add the kale and cook for a further 2 minutes until tender. Drain and refresh under running water. Transfer to a large bowl.

Cook chicken
Thread the chicken onto the bamboo skewers. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes each side, until cooked through. Remove, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 2 minutes.

Prepare tomatoes
Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes.

Make salad and serve
Combine the couscous mixture, tomatoes, almonds, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide salad and skewers amongst serving plates. Dollop with yoghurt and serve with lemon wedges.