If you’re anything like me, you have to give this recipe a chance.
I used to be the kind of guy that would scoff at the notion of couscous, but what is admittedly a rather dull-tasting ingredient can be combined with other ingredients to make a delicious meal.
I implore anyone who is unfamiliar with Greek cuisine to try this recipe. While I’m not going to say that it’s authentic Greek (after all, I’ve never even been to Greece), it does provide a nice little introduction to Mediterranean eating. And as always, it’s good for you and easy to make.
Ingredients
Serves 2, and takes about 15 minutes
For the couscous:
- ½ cup couscous (not pre-cooked)
- 1 red pepper, chopped finely
- 1 fresh chilli, chopped finely
- 2 spring onions, chopped finely
- A handful of frozen peas
- A few olives, halved
- A small handful of fresh dill
For the chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Glug of olive oil
For the tzatziki:
- ½ a cucumber, finely grated, with the excess water poured off
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- A small handful of fresh mint
To finish:
- A liberal crumbling of feta cheese
Instructions
Pound the chicken with a rolling pin until it’s about about ½” thick. It’s best to do this between two layers of clingfilm, to avoid making too much of a mess!
Toss the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano, allspice, lemon, and olive oil until the breasts are well coated. Place them under a grill on a medium heat for 8–10 minutes, turning once.
Put the couscous and peas – well seasoned with salt and pepper – in a pot with boiling water over a low heat for five minutes. (The couscous packet instructions should tell you how much water to use.)
Combine the tzatziki ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and season.
After five minutes, add the remaining vegetables and dill to the couscous, and stir well. Leave to simmer for a further five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated entirely.
Remove the chicken from under the grill and slice. Place the couscous on a plate, put the chicken on top, then finish by pouring the tzatziki and crumbling feta over the whole thing.
Tips and Suggestions
- This dish uses some of the same ingredients as my Chicken Tikka, Lentil, and Spinach Salad. You may want to try them both!
- This recipe is very forgiving in terms of the substitutions or omissions you can make. The core ingredients are chicken, couscous, and Greek yoghurt; there’s a lot of room for you to switch things up as you see fit (or as your store cupboard permits) beyond that.
- That said, try to get hold of cucumber, lemon, mint, olives, and feta. Those are the ingredients that really bring this dish to life.
- Fresh chilli can be substituted with dried chilli flakes. If you don’t have any spring onions, you could use red or white onion instead. Dried herbs can be used in place of fresh (although fresh mint in particular is a beautiful thing). Any vegetable oil can be used instead of olive oil.