Couscous with chicken and vegetables

Couscous with chicken and vegetables recipe .

Today I present a different recipe, one of those chicken recipes that will make you fly with your imagination and palate.

And no, it does not come from Morocco, but from Germany, from the city of Darmstadt near Frankfurt. From there Noel reads to me, an Extremaduran who for work reasons has made his life in those parts.

A tasty and very easy recipe, you will be left with a very complete and satisfying meal, but healthy and balanced. A very comforting dish thanks to all the aromas it incorporates. It can be prepared in advance, since the chicken sauce will also gain in flavor. It can even be tuned like in the other recipe for couscous with chicken curry that we have on the blog.

Couscous has many names, in each region they call it one way,  Cous-cous, couscous or kuskusús .. . For those who do not know it, its base is durum wheat semolina and it is one of the traditional dishes of the Maghreb cuisine, especially Moroccan cuisine.

I have tried it in different ways, from the traditional tabbouleh  to the couscous salad with tuna , but as I like it the most traditional, accompanied with lamb. Although the one presented by Noel is a lighter version with chicken and vegetables.

One of the advantages of this recipe is its speed and simplicity, in half an hour you will have a perfect dish for dinner or to take to work in your taper. A luxury to get home in a hurry and spend little time preparing such a delicious dish. So now you know, you have no excuse for not eating well and being like kings to your diners.

You can adapt your recipe with other types of meat, although if it is pork, you already know that it is not accepted in the Muslim culture. Its preparation is very simple, fast and above all healthy.

A recipe very similar to our chicken rice but with this exotic touch that couscous gives it. Ideal for those who are starting in the world of cooking, it has no loss as my friend Nacho would say. Yes or yes it will come out, you will see … and if you give it a touch of curry better than better.

Preparation of the couscous accompaniment

1. We leave the raisins in a container with the wine and a splash of lemon for a couple of hours to hydrate them. Let them get the aroma of the wine.
2. We cut the chicken breasts lengthwise into strips that we will then cut in half. We will leave them approximately half finger size.
3. We put them at room temperature with the Provencal herbs, tarragon, salt, pepper and a splash of lemon the time it takes to prepare the rest of the ingredients.
4. On the other hand we cut the onion, peppers, chives, carrots and the tomato into relatively thick slices / pieces so that they remain crispy after frying.
5. We put all the vegetables except the tomato over low heat with extra virgin olive oil. We will add this a little later when the other vegetables are slightly poached.
6. Let it simmer for about 12 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

We poach the vegetables and the chicken

1. When everything is poached, we put it aside on a plate and in the same pan we toss the chicken pieces.
2. We fry it until it is golden, raising the fire a little at the end of the process.
3. We add to the pan with the chicken, the raisins along with the wine that we have reserved. We allow the white wine to evaporate a little over low heat. It does not take more than five minutes because it is only to gather flavors.
4. Then we add the rest of the vegetables that we had set aside and let the wine evaporate a little over low heat.
5. In about 10 minutes a sauce will be a little thick thanks to the reduction of the wine and vegetables. The chicken will already be super tender and very juicy.

Preparation of the couscous and presentation

1. The cous-cous is traditionally prepared by steaming, but in this recipe we are going to prepare it by pouring boiling water over it and allowing it to swell for five minutes.
2. We are going to follow the instructions on the cous-cous package: We boil 250 ml of water with a teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and pour it over 250 g of cous-cous in a bowl. Approximately it is the content of a full glass for both the cous cous and the water.
3. Let stand 2 minutes and heat over low heat 3 minutes with a tablespoon of butter, stirring with a fork to separate the grains.
4. After this time, the cous-cous must be prepared, inflates by doubling in size, softens and becomes lighter.
5. If not, it is allowed to cook a reasonable time until it is done. Once we have it in its point we remove it and it is ready to serve
6. We serve in a deep tray.
7. We remove the cous-cous with a wooden spoon so that the grain is loose, we add the vegetables and the chicken on top.

You can see all the step-by-step photos of the chicken couscous recipe  in this album, don’t miss any detail and it will turn out like my mother’s.

Tips for a yummy couscous

• To present individually on a plate, we put a portion of cous-cous and another of stew.
• At the time of eating it is necessary to mix very well. Enjoy your friends in the kitchen and especially thank you very much to Noel for his recipe!
• If you want this recipe for chicken couscous to catch the aromatic flavor of the sauce well, I advise you to prepare it the day before and just make it to the table a little before serving it.
• Couscous leftovers will hold up very well if stored in an airtight container in the fridge for days. It can even be frozen without problem, perfect for the weekly menu.
• As I mentioned in the introduction, the cous-cous is very easy to prepare. Do not be afraid, because this recipe and especially its preparation is for those who are just starting out in the kitchen. It is very difficult that it doesn’t come out in an acceptable way.
• As the chicken is left with abundant sauce you can also serve it separately so that each diner is served the desired amount.
• On the blog you have a lot of chicken recipes , I am the number one fan of this type of recipes, most are very simple and especially cheap. Perhaps this recipe with chicken is one of the most visited along with baked chicken with potatoes.