Recipes Pasta and Noodles Pasta by Shape Recipes Couscous Recipes Quick Chicken Couscous 4.8 (12) 11 Reviews 4 Photos Take a break from pasta, rice, and potatoes with this quick chicken couscous bowl. Made with chicken breast (or thighs, or even leftover chicken!) and diced veggies of your choice, it's an impressive meal that takes just minutes to make once all the ingredients are prepped. The chicken is moist and tender, the couscous is light yet satisfying, and the veggies add color, flavor, and texture. It can be eaten at any temperature and would be perfect to pack for a picnic. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on February 5, 2024 Save Rate Print Share 4 4 4 4 Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Additional Time: 10 mins Total Time: 40 mins Servings: 2 Yield: 2 servings Jump to Nutrition Facts When I was much younger, and not quite as wise, I lived on a steady diet of fast food. I'm talking at least one meal a day, and often more. It was fast, cheap, and easy. When you're in your twenties, fast, cheap, and easy are two more reasons than you need to do anything. As I got older, I slowly but surely weaned myself off the drive-thru lane, but my love of fast food never went away. So I started making it for myself, using products like couscous. Maybe not exactly the same as a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and fries, but it was fast, cheap, and easy, and significantly more delicious (once you get use to food not containing copious amounts of MSG). This chicken couscous is one of our go-to meals, and as long as the boiling hot broth to couscous ratio is maintained, you can adapt this a thousand ways. The real key here is making sure you coat your grains, which will ensure a light and fluffy texture. Other than that, and making sure you've properly seasoned things, not much can go wrong. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy! Chef John For more Chef John, be sure to subscribe to Food Wishes on YouTube! Click the "Join" button there to get Chef John's bonus video footage and behind-the-scenes pictures, live chats, and other Food Wishes member exclusives. Ingredients For the couscous bowl: 1 ¼ cups whole wheat couscous ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 pinch cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil For the rest: 1 (8 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast half 1 pinch kosher salt to taste 1 tablespoon olive oil, or more to taste ½ cup diced red onion 1 cup chicken broth ½ cup diced zucchini ½ cup diced green beans ½ cup diced red bell pepper ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ½ teaspoon ground turmeric 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, or to taste 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese, or to taste 1 pinch chili flakes Directions Place couscous in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and olive oil; stir with a spoon until all couscous is coated with oil. Level off to smooth the top and set aside. Season chicken on both sides with salt. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add chicken and sear for 2 to 3 minutes on one side. Flip and add onions. Sear chicken on second side, while sauteing onions at the same time, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and let cool for a few minutes. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes and return to the saucepan. Add chicken broth, zucchini, green beans, bell pepper, green onions, paprika, and turmeric to the saucepan. Place over high heat. As soon as it boils, remove from the heat and carefully dump it on top of the couscous; do not stir. Immediately wrap bowl tightly with foil and set a timer for 5 minutes. When timer goes off, unwrap foil and toss in parsley. Stir to combine ingredients. Taste and adjust for salt. Spoon couscous onto serving plate and garnish with feta cheese, chili flakes, and parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Chef John Recipe Tips Make sure to use quick-cooking couscous, not pearl couscous.You can use yellow onion in place of red, and chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, or even leftover chicken.Any fresh herbs can be used in place of parsley, and a garlicky yogurt sauce or tzatziki can work instead of feta. I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 966 Calories 35g Fat 125g Carbs 46g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 2 Calories 966 % Daily Value * Total Fat 35g 44% Saturated Fat 6g 30% Cholesterol 70mg 23% Sodium 1429mg 62% Total Carbohydrate 125g 45% Dietary Fiber 21g 76% Total Sugars 6g Protein 46g 93% Vitamin C 69mg 77% Calcium 153mg 12% Iron 7mg 38% Potassium 526mg 11% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption. Powered by the ESHA Research Database © 2018, ESHA Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved