A few weeks ago Lindsay came over for lunch and Sam made this River Cottage recipe. I’m in no way ashamed to admit that since then, I’ve made and eaten it multiple times because it’s delicious and couscous is one of those quick and delicious foods. Plus, I NEVER tire of the joke “Couscous, so nice you’ll say it twice!” (The epitome of Dad-humor.)
(Adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall’s “River Cottage Everyday” cookbook)
Ingredients:
150 g chicken
about 3 tablespoons of olive oil
75 g blanched almonds
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
125 g of couscous
1 tablespoon of honey
250 ml of chicken stock
zest of 1/2 a lemon
Squeeze of lemon juive
Chopped mint (optional)
salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions:
Drizzle some olive oil on your chicken, and season it with salt and pepper, then pop it into your oven to cook. (Do this ahead of time as the recipe uses cold chicken.) When your chicken has cooked, let it cool and cut it into small pieces.
Put your almonds into a frying pan and toast them over medium heat for several minutes, until they are golden brown. Let them cool and then give them a rough chop.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan and add the onion, garlic and a dash of salt and pepper and gently saute them for about 10 minutes, or until softened. Then add in the cinnamon, take the saucepan off the heat, and stir in the couscous. In a separate pan, bring your chicken stock to a boil and add in the honey. Then pour your stock/honey mixture over your couscous saucepan. Cover and let sit for about 10 minutes. It’ll be done with the couscous is fluffy and has absorbed all the liquid. Transfer it all to a bowl, fluff it up a bit with a fork and allow it to cool.
Then toss in the chicken pieces, almonds, lemon zest and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. You can finish with some chopped mint if you like. Luckily the leftover are just as great as the first time!
Do you have a favourite quick leftover lunch?
