Middle Eastern chicken with jewelled couscous
Bringing the mystic flavours and aromas of the East into your kitchen with this simple to make and incredibly tasty Middle Eastern chicken with jewelled couscous. ALL the ingredients for this recipe are now available at your local Ritchies supermarket. Find your local VIC, NSW or QLD store.
Serves
6Preparation time
25 minsCooking time
35 minsIngredients
- For the Middle Eastern chicken
- 1 kg skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon power
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 400g tin crushed tomatoes
- 500ml chicken stock
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 birds eye chilies, seeds removed and finely sliced
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/3 cup dried currants
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- ¼ cup mint leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 tablespoons flaked almonds
- 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
- For the jewelled couscous
- 1 cup medium couscous
- 1 pomegranate, (seeds only)
- ¼ cup dried apricots, finely diced
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- ¼ cup mint leaves
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons flaked almonds
Method
Mix the cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper in a bowl and add the chicken, coating well with the spice mixture. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium/high heat and fry the coated chicken thighs in batches until just cooked. Be careful not to crowd the pan so that the chicken does not stew. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan add the onion, ginger and chilies and saute until the onion is soft then add the garlic, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a gentle boil. Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the carrots, celery and thyme and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, then add the currents, lemon juice, honey, coriander and mint. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until chicken breaks apart with a wooden spoon. Roughly break the chicken up into large chunks ensuring it is covered with the sauce. Garnish with flaked almonds and a dollop of yoghurt. Cook the couscous as per the instructions on the pack. When still warm add all of the other ingredients and combine until well mixed through.
