Israeli Couscous With Chicken Recipes

GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the garlic chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the garlic bulbs straight on the oven rack and roast them until they are soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees F.
• While garlic is roasting, prep the chicken. Into a food processor or a bowl, add the lemon zest and juice and set aside. When the garlic bulbs are cool, slice the tops off and squeeze out the roasted garlic into the bowl or food processor along with the thyme, cumin, crushed red pepper and salt to taste. Add a little olive oil and puree or mash into a loose paste. Massage the mixture all over the chicken pieces and let sit for at least 1 hour.
• For the couscous: Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook it until it's about two-thirds of the way cooked, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides.
• Remove it to a plate, drain the fat and add the celery and onions. Season with salt and crushed red pepper. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up all the crud on the bottom of the pan, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the saffron, zucchini, cooked couscous and chicken stock. Stir to combine, and then taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Transfer the mix to an ovenproof dish. Nestle the chicken, skin-side up, in the couscous and cover with foil. Add some more chicken stock to keep everything nice and moist. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cover with foil. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan.
• Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, and then remove the foil and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and top with scallions before serving.

GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the garlic bulbs in the oven and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool. When the bulbs are cool enough to handle, slice off the tops and squeeze the cloves into the bowl of a food processor.
• Add the lemon zest and juice, cumin, and crushed red pepper to the garlic. Season the mixture with salt and puree until smooth. While the machine is running, drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil. Taste and reseason if needed.
• Place the chicken in a large dish or on a baking sheet and massage the garlic mixture onto the skin of each piece-really lube it up! Let the chicken sit at room temp for up to 2 hours or, if longer than 2 hours, in the fridge. HINT, HINT: This can be done WAY ahead of time!
• For the couscous:
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil-taste the water to make sure it is salty like the ocean! Add the couscous and cook until it's two-thirds of the way done, 5 to 6 minutes. Strain and reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, toss in the onion and celery, and bring to medium-high heat. Season with salt and crushed red pepper and cook until soft, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste, white wine, and saffron and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes.
• Toss in the zucchini, reserved couscous, pine nuts, thyme bundle, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and stir. The couscous should be a little soupy. If it isn't, add the remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock. Taste and reseason if needed. Remove and discard the bay leaf and the thyme bundle. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish-one big enough to hold the chicken as well-and reserve.
• To assemble:
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring it to medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides. Be patient, this may take up to 6 to 8 minutes. BE SURE not to crowd the pan. If you do, the chicken will steam and get soggy rather than brown and crispy . . . not yummy.
• Nestle the browned chicken skin side up in the prepared couscous. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, remove the foil, and roast for another 15 minutes.
• When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and top with the chopped scallions and cilantro to serve.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS & CHICKEN SAUSAGE SKILLET

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion and celery; cook and stir until sausage is browned, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in broth, water and pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in parsley. If desired, sprinkle with cheese.

MAFTOUL WITH CHICKEN - MIDDLE EASTERN (ISRAELI COUS COUS)

Steps:

• Fry the spices and onion in a little olive oil. Add the chicken and seal well.
• Bring 1/2 liter of water to the boil. Place maftoul in large bowl and pour over enough to cover the maftoul. After 10 seconds, drain off water and mix in 1/2 tsp salt before placing maftoul in the steamer.
• Pour tomatoes over chicken and add salt & pepper to taste. Cover with water (water should come about 2" over the ingredients). At this point you can add a chicken stock cube if you wish. Cover and cook for 45 mins on medium heat.
• If you have a large couscousier or double steamer you can cook the sauce in the bottom and maftoul in the top which is preferable as the maftoul absorbs the flavours --.
• Remove the chicken from the sauce and place on a baking sheet in the oven (180 degrees c) for 10 minutes to brown off and dry out.
• Whilst chicken is in the oven, add the chickpeas to the sauce and cook gently for 10 minutes.
• Check seasoning. Take 8 bowls, divide the maftoul between them. Pour over some sauce then top with the chicken pieces.

SWEET-AND-SOUR CHICKEN WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook until soft and translucent, 10 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until soft, 2 minutes. Add chicken, orange juice, vinegar, currants, sugar, and peperoncini. Bring to a simmer; cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, 20 minutes. Cut each piece in half.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add couscous, and cook until al dente. Drain. Serve chicken with sauce over couscous.

SKILLET CHICKEN AND PEARL COUSCOUS WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken thighs, lime juice, olive oil, garlic and cumin. Season well with salt and pepper and stir together until the chicken is well coated in the marinade; set aside at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes.
• In a deep, 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the grapeseed or canola oil over medium-high. When it shimmers, lift the chicken out of the marinade, allowing any excess liquid to drip back into the bowl, then add the chicken to the skillet, skin-side down. Working in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan, cook until the chicken is well browned on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium, add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the harissa paste, turmeric and cinnamon, and cook until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season well with salt.
• Add the couscous to the pan and stir until well coated in the spiced leek oil. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and add the chicken back to the pan, skin-side up, along with any accumulated juices. Cover and simmer until the couscous is al dente and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. If you're lucky, some of the couscous may slightly stick to the bottom of the pan, creating well-seasoned crispy bites.
• Remove from the heat and remove the lid. Scatter with the herbs, if using, and the lime zest, then serve from the pan.

ZA'ATAR CHICKEN WITH ORANGE ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper then rub the za'atar spice on both sides.
• Heat up half the oil in a large sauté pan and sear chicken well, approximately 4-5 minutes per side until browned on each side.
• Transfer chicken breasts to oven-proof pan and keep warm. Do not allow the meat to dry out.
• Return the skillet to the stove top and add the wine to deglaze; boil 1 minute.
• Add the chicken stock and return to boil.
• Immediately add the couscous. Cover skillet tightly and remove from heat.
• Keep skillet covered 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the reserved 2 tablespoons olive oil, orange juice, zest, cumin and cilantro.
• Stir into the couscous, tossing in the pine nuts and orange segments. Fluff with a fork.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.
• Transfer the couscous to a platter and place the chicken breasts on top.
• Serve with warm pita bread, tzatziki and imported olives.

CURRIED ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bouillon cubes, curry powder, and oregano. Cook, breaking up bouillon cubes, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add couscous and mix thoroughly.
• Add water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring frequently, until couscous is soft, 8 to 10 minutes.