Israeli couscous with apricots, lemon and chicken

Weeknight cooking for my partner and I is frequently motivated by convenience.  Not microwavable, TV dinner convenience, but simple dishes using quality ingredients that pack plenty of flavour. I like dishes I can create using things commonly found in my pantry, plus a few fresh veggies and herbs from the garden. A mix of sweet and tart apricots, sharp lemon and creamy pine nuts make this dish a real winner.

It really is super easy – the key is to prep the veggies while you leave the chicken to marinate for a few minutes.  Then simply grill the chicken while you simmer the couscous, whack it all together and hey presto chicken dinner!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• Marinade
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• ½ tsp cinnamon
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• 500g chicken tenderloins, trimmed and sliced in half lengthways

• Couscous
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup Israeli couscous
• 2 cups chicken stock, heated
• ½ cup dried apricots, diced – a mix of sweet and tart apricots is nice
• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
• 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
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• Unsweetened yoghurt to serve

Method

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• 1. Mix marinade ingredients together and massage into chicken pieces. Set aside while you prepare the other vegetables.
• 2. In a medium-sized saucepan, fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the couscous and apricot pieces and stir to coat. Fry for a minute or two, and then pour over the hot stock. Simmer for 10 -12 minutes, until al dente.
• 3. While the couscous is cooking, heat a large, heavy-based frying pan and cook chicken pieces.
• 4. Once cooked, remove couscous from heat and mix through pine nuts, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and cherry tomatoes. Season to taste.
• 5. To serve create a bed of the couscous mix on each plate, top with chicken pieces and a good dollop of unsweetened yoghurt.