An ideal summer meal with little kitchen heat. A Moroccan inspired recipe with two refreshing companions done in 45 minutes or less. While chicken is baking you have plenty of time to prepare the couscous salad and the parsley yogurt pesto.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Couscous Salad:
- 1 1/2 cup instant couscous
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice or to taste
- 3 medium tomatoes, seeded, cored and cut into 3/4 inch dices
- 1/2 European cucumber, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch dices
- 4 Tbsp shelled roasted pistachios
- 2 scallions finely sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) or flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chicken
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp Ras-el-Hanout
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 single chicken breasts, skinned
Yogurt Pesto
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves only
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, optional
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Couscous Salad:
- 260 g instant couscous
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice or to taste
- 3 medium tomatoes, seeded, cored and cut into 2 cm dices
- 1/2 European cucumber, seeded and cut into 2 cm dices
- 4 Tbsp shelled roasted pistachios
- 2 scallions finely sliced
- 15 g fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) or flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chicken
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp Ras-el-Hanout
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 single chicken breasts, skinned
Yogurt Pesto
- 250 g Greek yogurt
- 15 g flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves only
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, optional
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Ras-el-Hanout
The “famous” Moroccan spice, complex, aromatic, wonderful! The literal translation is “head of the shop”, the best a spice shop has to offer. It contains 30+ spices and is used for many Moroccan dishes. Available in the US from World Market and Whole Foods as well as Middle Eastern markets and in Europe from your friendly North African or Turkish grocer.
Preparation:
Couscous:
Bring 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cup (300-350 ml) water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt and couscous, cover and remove from heat. Make sure that the couscous is not too moist or the salad will get mushy. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes or according to package instructions. Uncover and fluff it out with a fork. Transfer to a serving bowl and let it cool. Add all remaining ingredients and mix it well. Adjust seasoning to your liking.
Chicken Breast:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Mix olive oil with Ras-el Hanout to form a paste. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Rub Ras-el-Hanout paste all over chicken breasts. Set aside for 15 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown chicken all over. Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the cutlets. Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
Yogurt Pesto:
Add all ingredients to your food chopper. Pulse it once or twice. Adjust seasonings to your taste and refrigerate.
Serve chicken with couscous salad and parsley yogurt pesto on the side.
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