Chicken, Squash and Couscous with Moroccan Spices

This recipe showed up in my latest edition of Cooking Club magazine and I had to try it. Any recipe that calls for a whole cut-up chicken, Israeli couscous (what I consider to be much more superior to that "regular" couscous), and butternut squash is king in my book.

I've prepared a dish similar to this one in the past (prior to blogging) and it will be cool (for me anyway) to see how this compares.

Chicken, Squash and Couscous with Moroccan Spices
from Cooking Club of America

Moroccan Spice Blend

• 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp pepper

1 (4- to 5-lb.) cut-up chicken

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly slivered lengthwise (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, chopped (1/2 inch) (about 4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c lower-sodium chicken broth
1 c Israeli (toasted pearl) couscous
1/2 c finely chopped cilantro
1/3 c sliced almonds, toasted*
2 tbsp lemon juice

Heat oven to 350°F. Rub spice blend over chicken pieces.

Heat large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot.

Cook chicken in batches 10 minutes or until browned, turning once and adjusting heat as necessary to maintain steady sizzle.

Remove chicken. Discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pot.

I left all of the drippings -- I live dangerously.

Cook onions in drippings over low heat 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes or until limp and golden brown.

Stir in squash and garlic. Add broth; bring to a boil.

Stir in couscous. Tuck chicken pieces into couscous, pouring in any accumulated juices from chicken.

Bake, covered, 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and almost all broth is absorbed.

Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes or until couscous is tender and broth is absorbed.
I thought this pretty goopy still and let the couscous stand alone in broth for another 6 minutes before continuing.

Arrange chicken and couscous mixture on platter in large bowl; sprinkle with cilantro, almonds and lemon juice.

*To toast almonds, place on baking sheet; bake at 350°F. for 6 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool.

Click for a printable

Effort was not outrageous, but the savory tastiness was! I love this dish! And just so you know, it kicked the crap out of the recipe I'd mentioned earlier. I'm a sucker for perfectly browned skin and buttery squash. Nestle that deliciousness into some Israeli couscous? Home RUN. Knocked straight out of the park.

No brainer, gonna be doing this again and soon, with only a minor change: go the full 30 minutes on baking time to reduce the broth sufficiently. The chicken was so tender -- even the breasts -- that a matter of minutes is not going to make a difference on tenderness.

The time label on this one is a little on the long side as I did some goofing around between steps. You can be sure it will not take 2 and a half hours to make this. More like 2 hours, but to be safe, plan for 2.5.

Cost:

• chicken: $3.50
• onions: $0.40
• butternut squash: $2.44
• garlic: $0.04
• couscous: $1.52
• cilantro: $0.17

Total: $8.07 or $1.35 for each of six servings. I'll eat this a total of four times, making each serving $2.02.

Totally worth it.