Mediterranean Chicken And Sausage Couscous Pot Food

ONE POT GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Wrap garlic in foil and bake in 375 degrees for 45 minutes until the garlic is tender and soft. Remove when done and allow to cool.
• In a food processor, add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, thyme, cumin, red pepper, salt and olive oil. Pulse until well blended and then rub mixture all over chicken. Allow chicken to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• In a medium pot, par-cook the couscous. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Next, get a large pot or dutch oven and drizzle with olive oil. On medium heat sear chicken on all sides to brown it. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through, just seared. When done, reserve to a plate.
• Add celery and onions and saute in chicken oil. Season with salt and red pepper. Allow to cook until veggies begin to break down, about 5-6 minutes.
• Add wine and deglaze pan using a wooden spoon to scrape the chicken bits from the bottom. Add tomato paste and saffron and mix well. Add zucchini, couscous and chicken stock and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning (more salt?)
• Place chicken back in with all its juices. Chicken should not be fully covered under liquid, but slightly sticking out. Cover dutch oven with lid and place in oven at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Then remove lid and continue to bake for another 10 minutes.

COUSCOUS SAUSAGE MEDITERRANEAN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the crumbled sausage and cook until it is mostly browned, about 7-9 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Careful not to let it burn!) Reduce heat to medium.
• Add the tomato and basil and cook until tomato softens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Quick now, cook the couscous: bring broth to a boil, add couscous; remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir and fluff with a fork.
• Mix cooked sausage mixture with the cooked couscous and crumbled feta (if using). Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and squeeze over a bit of freshly squeeze lemon or lime juice. Serve!
• Servings: about 6.
• Mike's suggestions for substitutions/additions: 1 Tbsp finely chopped calamata olive, chopped mushroom, chopped artichoke heart, chopped sundried tomato, sautéed fennel, spinach, chopped cucumber.
• As far as sausage goes, we use our homemade lamb-based French Merguez (also posted here at http://www.food.com/recipe/french-merguez-sausages-culinary-communion-340487) which is astoundingly good. But a flavorful Italian sausage would be good, too. Seasoned turkey sausage would be fine if you want to make it even leaner. Or hey, mmm, chorizo! You can even use vegetarian no-meat sausage, if you like - just pay attention to the seasonings so it doesn't turn out tasting bland.
• Re tomatoes: I dislike cooked tomato peel, so I prefer to not use cherry tomatoes for this dish. Regular chopped fresh tomato is my preference.
• This is a really versatile recipe, you can substitute ingredients to achieve whatever flavor profile you want. Also, we get our couscous in bulk because otherwise it's far too expensive to buy in prepackaged little boxes.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and garlic and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently or until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the spinach during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking chicken.
• Stir in water, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and spice pack from couscous. Bring to a boil.
• Stir in couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Stir with a fork to fluff couscous. Stir in feta cheese and pine nuts if using. Serve.

CHICKEN & COUSCOUS ONE-POT

Steps:

• Toss the chicken thighs in half the spices and a pinch of salt until completely coated. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large sauté pan with a lid. Fry chicken, skin-side down, for 10 mins until golden brown, turn over, then cook for 2 mins before removing from the pan. Pour the rest of the oil into the pan, then fry the onions and garlic for 8 mins until golden. Stir in the rest of the spices, then cook for 1 min longer. Pour over the chicken stock and scatter in the olives. Bring everything to the boil, turn down the heat, then sit the chicken, skinside up, in the stock.
• Cover the pan with a lid, then simmer gently for 35-40 mins until the chicken is tender. Put the kettle on, then lift the chicken onto a plate and keep warm. Take the pan off the heat. Stir the lemon juice and couscous into the saucy onions in the pan and top up with enough boiling water just to cover the couscous if you need to. Place the lid back on the pan, then leave to stand for 5 mins until the couscous is cooked through. Fluff through half the parsley and the lemon zest, then sit the chicken on top. Scatter with the rest of the parsley and zest before serving.