... Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad

I'm not sure what it is with me and couscous, but I can't get enough of it!  Maybe I should go to Greece... do I have roots there?  It certainly wouldn't hurt to go find out, right?  

Besides being delicious and easy, it goes so well with lots of different things... chicken, burgers, just on its own.  The flavors on the chicken in this recipe weren't spicy as in "hot" but smoky and warm and the grill just added to that (even if it was a gas grill...)  Toss in a few pieces of warmed pita bread and you'll be thinking that you'd like to accompany me to Greece.

Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad

serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

kosher salt and black pepper

3/4 cup couscous

3/4 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1/4 pound snap peas, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup torn fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Season the chicken with the paprika, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per side; transfer to plates.

Meanwhile, place the couscous in a large bowl.  Add 1 cup hot tap water, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.  Add the tomatoes, snap peas, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss to combine.

Slice the chicken and serve with the couscous.

Taylor's Notes:

Other than the ingredients, I didn't follow much of the recipe.  For the chicken, I rubbed the breasts with a little oil and coated each side with smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.  I grilled them instead of cooking them in the skillet and after 15 minutes, they were perfectly cooked and super moist.  

I made the entire box of couscous - about twice as much as the recipe calls for - because it's so great to have leftover.  For the whole box, I just added 2 cups of hot water, covered and fluffed after the water was absorbed.  Other than bagged salad, it's about the easiest salad to make and you really can't even compare the flavor.  I added feta cheese this time, and... yum!

Enjoy!