Basil Chicken Couscous Recipes

SKILLET CHICKEN AND PEARL COUSCOUS WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken thighs, lime juice, olive oil, garlic and cumin. Season well with salt and pepper and stir together until the chicken is well coated in the marinade; set aside at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes.
• In a deep, 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the grapeseed or canola oil over medium-high. When it shimmers, lift the chicken out of the marinade, allowing any excess liquid to drip back into the bowl, then add the chicken to the skillet, skin-side down. Working in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan, cook until the chicken is well browned on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium, add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the harissa paste, turmeric and cinnamon, and cook until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season well with salt.
• Add the couscous to the pan and stir until well coated in the spiced leek oil. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and add the chicken back to the pan, skin-side up, along with any accumulated juices. Cover and simmer until the couscous is al dente and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. If you're lucky, some of the couscous may slightly stick to the bottom of the pan, creating well-seasoned crispy bites.
• Remove from the heat and remove the lid. Scatter with the herbs, if using, and the lime zest, then serve from the pan.

BASIL PESTO COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil.
• Add couscous, butter and salt.
• Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
• Topping: In a blender, blend all topping ingredients except the parmesan.
• (Alternately, use a ready made basil pesto).
• Cook blended mixture (pesto) in a pan until warm/hot.
• Mix the warm topping mix with couscous.
• Toss with parmesan cheese.
• Serve immediately.

PARMESAN CHICKEN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook walnuts over medium heat in 1 teaspoon oil for 2-3 minutes or until toasted. Remove and set aside., In the same pan, saute garlic in remaining oil for 1 minute. Add the spinach, chicken, water, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Stir in walnuts and sprinkle with cheese.

BASIL CHICKEN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven for 425°F.
• Combine the first five ingredients. Stir well, then mix in the zucchini, peppers, onions, garbanzo beans, raisins and mushrooms. After vegetables are coated well, put them into a shallow baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.
• While vegetables are baking, cook chicken breasts in a skillet using some olive oil, basil, and garlic seasoning to taste.
• Cook couscous according to package directions.
• When all ingredients are cooked, serve chicken and vegetables over couscous.
• (Note: To decrease preparation time, cut up vegetables beforehand. I cut all mine up then froze them until I wanted to make this recipe.).

BLACK PEPPER BASIL CHICKEN WITH CAULIFLOWER COUSCOUS (LOWER CARB

Steps:

• Place ground chicken in a container that can be closed with a lid, add the 1 Tbsp of Black Pepper Sauce and the minced basil, and mix well. Set aside. (I like to let this sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking.).
• Chop the leek, yellow onion, and cabbage into 1/2-inch pieces. Slice the red radish fairly thinly, but it doesn't have to be paper thin. Chop and mince the scallions (green onions) and garlic.
• Make the cauliflower "couscous": put the cauliflower florets into a food processor and whir until they're all broken up and look like couscous! It won't take long, perhaps a minute. Set aside.
• Add 1 Tbsp of the coconut oil to a large, hot, heavy pan on the stove (I use a large Le Creuset). As soon as it has melted, add in the vegetables (except for the cauliflower!) and combine well. Saute the vegetables, stirring *occasionally* (you want them to brown a bit and not simply steam in their juices), until they've softened some and most of them have a bit of browning on them, about 7-8 minutes.
• Combine the hot water and granulated (or powder) chicken bouillon and stir to dissolve. Pour into the vegetable mixture, add the Bragg's aminos (or tamari/soy), lower temperature to low, cover, and allow to simmer until softish or your desired texture. I prefer my veggies fully cooked, and simmering them together with the bouillon adds a lot of flavor.
• Meanwhile, in a separate hot, heavy pan (again, I use a Le Creuset), add the remaining 1 Tbsp coconut oil. When it is melted and hot - it won't take long - add the chicken mixture to flatten and spread it along the bottom to brown. When it has browned on one side, use a flat spatula to flip it over and brown on the other side. Don't stir it too much at first, as you want it to brown.
• Meanwhile, uncover the other pan containing vegetables. In a small dish, mix together the arrowroot powder with the cold water and stir together until well combined. Pour the arrowroot mixture into the vegetables and stir well - the vegetable liquid will begin to thicken. Continue stirring until everything is well-combined.
• When the chicken has fully browned, begin breaking up the meat into a "gravel" of the size you prefer.
• Add the browned chicken mixture to the vegetables, and stir to combine. Taste, and add an additional teaspoon of Black Pepper Sauce (or more, to taste) and/or Braggs/tamari/soy sauce to taste.
• Serve the Black Pepper Basil Chicken and veggies over 4 ounces of cauliflower "couscous" per serving, and enjoy!
• Note: I like the couscous just as they are, raw, but if you like you can microwave them briefly to soften them up. But raw they have almost the exact texture of cooked pasta-couscous, and they're delicious just as they are. Experiment, and decide for yourself.

BASIL ROASTED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove the fat, neck, liver and gizzards from the body cavity, then rinse and pat the chicken dry.
• Gently separate the skin from the flesh, running your fingers from the front to the back of the chicken and along the leg and thigh, being careful not to rip the skin or detach it from the bird.
• Mix the butter, chopped basil, parsley, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
• Rub half of the butter mixture under the loosened skin and then tuck 1/2 of the whole basil leaves under the skin; be sure to get it under the skin around the leg and thigh.
• Put 4 of the garlic cloves into the body cavity of the chicken and scatter the rest in the roasting pan.
• Add the lemon juice and stock.
• Place the chicken, breast-side up, on top of the garlic and stock.
• Roast in the oven, basting occasionally with the pan juices for 1 hour, or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced.
• Transfer the chicken to a heated platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Pour the juices with the garlic cloves into a blender and puree the mixture.
• (The garlic skins will remain whole.) Strain the puree through a sieve into a medium-sized saucepan, pressing on the garlic skins with the back of a spoon.
• Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes, and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Carve the chicken and serve drizzled with the sauce and garnished with fresh basil leaves.