Poached Chicken With Vegetables Coriander And Saffron Couscous Recipes

POACHED CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Season chicken breasts with salt and arrange in a deep, large skillet. Cover chicken with vegetables. Add bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and chicken stock to the pan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, covered. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove bay and thyme sprigs. Remove the chicken breasts and cut into slices. Return chicken slices to the pan and adjust seasoning, to your taste. Put the couscous into a heatproof serving bowl. Ladle 1 1/2 cups of the hot cooking liquid over the couscous, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, season the couscous with salt, and fluff with a fork. Put a scoop of couscous into a serving bowl, top with chicken chunks and vegetables. Cover meat and vegetables with some broth. Garnish each serving with chives and parsley.
• Refrigerate or freeze the whole breast pieces for Portuguese Chicken.

BASIC POACHED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large, straight-sided skillet or pot, combine all ingredients except chicken; cover with water by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over high. Add chicken and return to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, then cover skillet and remove from heat. Let stand until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove chicken from poaching liquid immediately.

SAFFRON BUTTER CHICKEN WITH DATE & COUSCOUS STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt half the butter in a pan over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, ginger and chilli, and cook for 2 mins more. Stir in the couscous, then pour over the stock and tip in the dates and barberries. Turn off the heat, cover and leave for 15 mins for the couscous to absorb the liquid.
• Use a fork to stir the walnuts, herbs and spring onions through the couscous. Leave to cool.
• Stuff the chicken with the cooled couscous mixture, pushing it well into the cavity. Let the excess spill out into the tin, then slide it under the chicken to act as a trivet. Rub the remaining butter all over the chicken. Season, then roast for 1 hr 15 mins. Keep an eye on it and if the couscous stuffing that's spilled out is getting too dark, cover it with foil.
• To make the saffron butter, melt the unsalted butter, then add a generous pinch of saffron and let this sit for about 30 mins, to allow the butter to be properly infused. About 10 mins before the end of the cooking time, pour over the chicken. Serve with Greek yogurt and a green salad, if you like.

POACHED CHICKEN, CRUNCHY VEGETABLES, AND HERB DRESSING

Steps:

• For the dressing:
• Drain and rinse the almonds in fresh cold water, then pound them with the herbs, the garlic clove and a little salt. Slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture, stirring to combine.
• For the chicken:
• Put the chicken breasts into a pan of cold water with the reserved herb stalks (from the dressing), the garlic and the salt. Bring the water to a simmer, turn off the heat and immediately cover the pan. Allow the chicken to sit in the hot poaching liquor for 20 minutes, until cooked through.
• Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and blanch the green beans for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then cool under cold running water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat the broiler. Shave the fennel bulb with a mandolin or peeler into this slices and do the same with the carrot and zucchini. Add to the beans. Put the tomatoes on a non-stick baking sheet and under a preheated broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add to the bowl.
• Remove the chicken breasts from the poaching liquor. Thinly slice them and add to the bowl of vegetables. Toss together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken and vegetables between plates and serve with the herb dressing and lemon wedges.

POACHED CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES, CORIANDER AND SAFFRON COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken:
• In a shallow dish sprinkle the chicken with the cumin, the ginger, the salt, and the garlic, drizzle it with the oil, and rub it all over to coat it well. Chill the chicken, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• In a heavy saucepan cook the onion and the garlic in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until they are softened, stir in the ginger and the saffron, and cook the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the broth and 2 tablespoons each of the coriander and the parsley, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and the carrot and poach the chicken, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken, add the zucchini, and cook the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken with tongs to a cutting board and let it stand for 5 minutes. While the chicken is standing, add the olives and the remaining 1 tablespoon each of the coriander and the parsley to the pan, bring the liquid to a boil, and boil the mixture for 2 minutes.
• Prepare the couscous:
• Put the saffron in a small dish, set the dish on a rack set over a saucepan of the broth and 3/4 cup water, and bring the liquid to a boil. Heat the saffron for 1 minute, crumble it into the broth, and add the oil. Stir in the couscous, remove the pan from the heat, and let the couscous stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork before serving.
• Slice the chicken, divide it between 2 plates with the couscous, and spoon the vegetable mixture over it.