Chicken Cous Cous

Ok. This may seem a little strange at first glance, but trust me, it’s tasty! I looked at a whole bunch of different recipes for cous cous & chicken combos, got an idea of what worked, looked through my refrigerator and cabinets, and then sort of made up the following recipe. Now I have to write it down so that I can replicate it in the future.

Again, trust me. I asked the Professor if cooking with honey, cinnamon, and chili powder all in the same dish would scare him – he looked at me like I had just escaped from Bedlam and was desperately in need of a straight jacket. Fortunately, he’s used to his wife making up strange dishes and trying to get him to eat them. Sometimes it works… Sometimes it doesn’t…

Ingredients:

1 small onion

4 celery stalks

3 carrots

2 small tomatoes

3 teaspoons minced garlic

3 chicken breasts

Chicken broth

Cous cous

Honey

Chili powder

Cumin

Cinnamon

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Optional:

Fresh squeezed lemon juice

Red pepper flakes

Directions:

Cube chicken breasts to bite size. Brown the outside of the chicken in olive oil. Sprinkle salt and cracked pepper over the chicken when you first add it to the pan. It’s ok if it’s not done all the way through because you’ll be cooking it more later! Set chicken aside.

Using the cuisinart, finely mince carrots, celery, & onion. Sautee carrots & celery in olive oil. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat up some olive oil. Add onion and cook until transluscent. Add minced garlic. Cook until garlic starts to get a little golden. Add cubed tomatoes & the chicken. Add chicken broth/celery/carrots. Add honey, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder. I didn’t measure these – I just eyeballed and sprinkled until everything smelled and tasted terrific. Stir and allow to simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Prepare cous cous in a separate pot. (EASY! Boil water or chicken broth, some salt, and a few teaspoons of olive oil. Add cous cous, stir, remove from heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Serve the chicken mixture over the cous cous. If you like, squeeze some fresh lemon over the dish or sprinkle some red pepper flakes for spice.

This is a semi-sweet dish with a slight hint of spice. I was really surprised and happy with how it turned out. The Professor even gave it a thumbs up! I was definitely expecting him to tell me I was crazy and had set some plain chicken aside for him. I was a little giddy when I got to add the plain chicken to the rest of the dish!

Plus – I included veggies and camouflaged them in chicken broth and spices. He can’t refuse them if they aren’t recognizable! MWAHAHAHAHA!