Lunch / Dinner
Chicken & Couscous
You’ve never had couscous quite like this. If it seems familiar, it’s probably the creative addition of ingredients that are usually reserved for Asian stir-fries.
Take a trip around the world with the internationally inspired ingredients featured in this dish. They go together surprisingly well and add up to a tasty, healthful dinner.
Couscous is most popular in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines. But here, it’s cooked with a chicken broth and soy sauce mixture and flavored with fresh ginger and garlic. Combined with vegetables, such as bok choy and radishes, these traditional Asian ingredients provide an unexpected stir-fry-like flavor. Chicken is a standard choice for stir-fries and is ideal here, too.
Although we nicknamed the dish chicken confusion in the Test Kitchen, the result is actually a successful fusion of cuisines. Nothing will stand out as particularly exotic, though — this is a meal the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
HEAT:
COMBINE:
Test Kitchen Tips
Pearl couscous is sometimes labeled Middle Eastern or Israeli. These varieties are the size of peppercorns and similar to pasta in texture and preparation. Other types are smaller, like coarse cornmeal.
Bok choy [bahk CHOY], a relative of Chinese cabbage, is a versatile and nutritious vegetable with celery-like stalks and tender leaves. The “baby” variety offers a more practical portion.
Instructions
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add chicken; stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink, 4–5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Add remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in bok choy stems, couscous, carrot, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; sauté until couscous is toasted, 4–5 minutes.
Combine water, broth, and soy sauce in a large measuring cup; microwave until boiling. Pour liquid over couscous mixture, cover skillet, and simmer over medium-low heat until couscous is tender, 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir chicken, radishes, bok choy leaves, and vinegar into couscous mixture. Cover skillet and let sit 3–4 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Garnish servings with sunflower seeds.
Stir-fry mixture until the couscous is toasted to give it deeper flavor and to partially cook the vegetables.
In order to jump-start the cooking process, microwave the liquid before adding it to the pan.
Add bok choy leaves near the end of cooking. You want them to wilt but still retain their color and flavor.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 401
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 36mg 12%
Sodium 433mg 18%
Carbs 50g 16%
Fiber 5g 20%
Protein 22g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.