| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small red onions, thinly sliced
- 3 carrots, halved crosswise and quartered lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons ras el hanout (Moroccan seasoning) or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup couscous
- 2 cups packed fresh cilantro (about 1 large bunch)
- 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken breast (skin removed; about 12 ounces)
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the red onions and carrots; cook until the onions soften slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the ras el hanout, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir to coat the vegetables. Add 3 cups water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the carrots are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the couscous as the label directs. Puree 1 3/4 cups cilantro, 2 tablespoons water and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a food processor. Fluff the couscous and stir in the cilantro paste. Cover to keep warm.
- Uncover the vegetables and stir in the chicken and raisins. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the raisins are plump, about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey and the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve over the couscous; top with the almonds.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 460 calorie |
| Total Fat | 13 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 2 grams |
| Cholesterol | 75 milligrams |
| Sodium | 610 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 56 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 grams |
| Protein | 33 grams |
Reviews
So glad I read a few reviews ahead of making this. I’m giving the recipe 3 stars as the instructions are probably a little “off”, but after seeing other’s suggestions, this dish came out well. It’s sweet and savory with lots of great texture.
However there’s no need for 3 cups of water for the onions and carrots. I used 2 cups, and even found that to be a lot of water. I midway decided to cook the vegetables on high heat for 2-3 minutes which helped absorb the water.
Also instead of rotisserie chicken, I browned good Bell and Evans boneless chicken breasts (2 were enough), cut them into bit sized pieces and continued cooking them at the end with the raisins.
All in all this came out tasty and tender, and I especially liked the couscous, but it could have used a bit more flavor, especially the sauce. May try this again with harissa sauce and a bit of cornstarch for a thicker sauce. With a little embellishment, this could be excellent.
However there’s no need for 3 cups of water for the onions and carrots. I used 2 cups, and even found that to be a lot of water. I midway decided to cook the vegetables on high heat for 2-3 minutes which helped absorb the water.
Also instead of rotisserie chicken, I browned good Bell and Evans boneless chicken breasts (2 were enough), cut them into bit sized pieces and continued cooking them at the end with the raisins.
All in all this came out tasty and tender, and I especially liked the couscous, but it could have used a bit more flavor, especially the sauce. May try this again with harissa sauce and a bit of cornstarch for a thicker sauce. With a little embellishment, this could be excellent.
Excellent dish, family loved it
This was delicious! Only change was to cook over high heat after adding water until liquid had reduced 90%. This concentrated the flavors perfectly, ensuring it was not watered down. The kids (5 and 2) inhaled it without complaint. This will become part of our regular rotation.
I loved it – but made a lot of little changes too! Browned the chicken then used the same pan for the onion and carrots, It ended being too watery (I had not read the comments beforehand, obviously) so added some cornstarch. I like having some sauce with a side of couscous. The consistency was good but the taste was mild and I was concerned about adding honey.. So I added some harissa, very strong but just 1/2 teaspoon, and some lemon juice, then the honey. And to my surprise, it was perfect that way! Really tasty.
First, I have to admit to making changes to the recipe. I cooked diced chicken breast in the oil before adding the vegetables rather than using rotisserie, but I don’t think that would change the end result too much. Considering the previous review, I reduced the “water” to 2 1/4 cups and used a combination of water and broth for flavor, and it still turned out overly soupy in my opinion. I will probably make this again, but I will reduce the liquid even more. I am guessing the original recipe would be 2-3 stars, but with the liquid reduced and replaced with some broth, I’d give it 4 stars. (I reserve 5-star reviews for our very favorite recipes.)
I don’t really appreciate it when people post comments and then rate a recipe low, and then talk about all the things they changed about the recipe. So, I have to first admit that I substituted parsley for cilantro. I’ve tried to be a good sport and learn to like cilantro, but after 53 years, I have to say that I’ve given up. I HATE cilantro and its not going to change. So, maybe if I liked the taste of soap and used cilantro, I might have loved this recipe. Who knows? But I really did not like this recipe, and neither did my wife. It really lacked flavor and the 3 cups of water guarantees that you end up with a thin soup, which is just not very good. We’re not very picky eaters, and will just about always try something as a leftover to see if its improves overnight, but for this one, the leftovers when down the garbage disposal which is something I only do about every five years or so. But we did keep the couscous, though, which was full of parsley and was pretty darn good.