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Couscous and Chicken with Tunisian Spices

Photo: Aya Brackett

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED March 19, 2024

This couscous delivers big flavor, year-round. (We’d be as thrilled to eat it with firm tofu instead of chicken, too.) Enjoy it in the summer with a cucumber salad or a side of grilled eggplant; past summer, perhaps, squash or beets: It’s the kind of dish that goes with everything.

 

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Couscous and Chicken with Tunisian Spices

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
  • Lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the chicken and onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Stir in the cumin, coriander if you’re using it, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, just a few seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste darkens, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add the couscous and 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil, then cover and turn off the heat. Let the skillet sit until the couscous is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and fluff with a fork. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with more parsley and passing the lemon wedges at the table.

– Recipe from Dinner for Everyone

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