Simple Chicken Recipe with Cranberry Couscous

This simple chicken recipe is just the thing to get out of the usual cooking rut. We all get stuck in a certain cooking routine - roast chicken on Sunday, leftovers on Monday....

This quick, easy chicken recipe introduces very different flavours and textures with the addition of cranberries, dried apricots, pine nuts and some spices to the couscous. Serve with a simple mixed green salad for a balanced meal.

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15 min
No. of servings: 4

Ingredients

For the chicken

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks
1 onion chopped
¼ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

For the couscous

250ml (8 3/4 fluid ounces) couscous
250ml (8 3/4 fluid ounces) chicken stock
125 ml (4 fluid ounces) dried cranberries
50g (1 3/4 ounces) dried apricots
30g (1 ounce) pine nuts
30g (1 ounce) butter
1 bunch of spring onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

Method

To prepare the couscous

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and gently fry the spring onions and garlic until soft.
Add the spices and fry for 1 minute.
Add the stock and the fruit and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the couscous.
Set aside for 10 minutes; in the meantime prepare the chicken.

To prepare the chicken

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and gently fry the onions until transparent.
Add the thyme and chicken and fry until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the stock and deglaze the pan.
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains and add the pine nuts
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Tip the couscous into a warmed serving platter. Spoon the chicken on top together with the sauce formed in the pan. Garnish with the coriander and serve.

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