One Pot Chicken with Couscous and Green Olives

, from Issue #37. September, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
One Pot Chicken with Couscous and Green Olives

Perfect for a mid-week dinner or simple weekend entertaining, this one pot chicken is packed with flavour and won’t break the budget. 

 

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

8 boneless chicken thighs, skin-on
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon each ground turmeric and ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 x 400 gram tin cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup green olives
2 cups chicken stock
1½ cups quick cook couscous
zest 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD

Place the chicken thighs skin side down and season well. Fold over and tie with kitchen string to maintain their shape while cooking.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Drain off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat in the pan.

Add the onions, spices, garlic and bay leaf and cook for ten minutes until the onions are soft. Add a little water to the pan if the spices start to catch on the base. Add the chickpeas, olives and the stock to the pan, season and stir to combine then place the chicken on top. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until the juices from the chicken run clear when pierced with a skewer. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate, covering to keep warm.

Stir the couscous into the pan juices, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in half the lemon zest and parsley.

To serve: Divide the couscous between serving plates. Snip the string from the chicken and slice thinly. Arrange on top of the couscous and scatter with the remaining lemon zest and parsley.