Roasted Chicken With Goat Cheese Nut Crust And Parsley Pimento Couscous Recipes

MIDDLE EASTERN CHICKEN POT AND BUTTER-NUT COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples add the chicken and brown 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, bay leaf and season with spices, salt and pepper, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Stir the fruits into the chicken and vegetables, add the zest of the lemon, olives and 2 1/2 cups of stock. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with lemon juice and turn off heat. Remove bay leaf.
• While chicken simmers, melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add nuts and lightly toast for a couple of minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups stock and bring up to a boil then stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
• Serve chicken over couscous, or vice versa, and garnish with parsley.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Melt 1 teaspoon butter in heavy small skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and rosemary and sauté until shallots are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in goat cheese and pepper. Season to taste with salt. Using fingertips, loosen skin of chicken breasts, leaving skin attached on 1 long side. Spread half of cheese filling over meat and under skin of each breast. Pull skin over filling and secure with toothpick. Rub remaining 1 teaspoon butter over skin, dividing equally. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH GOAT CHEESE-NUT CRUST AND PARSLEY-PIMENTO COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Season chicken all over with salt and black pepper and place in prepared pan. Brush mustard all over tops of chicken. Then spread with goat cheese. Place macadamia nuts in a plastic bag and smash with the flat side of a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy skillet until finely crushed. Sprinkle nuts over goat cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 more minutes, until cheese is golden brown and chicken is cooked through. While chicken is baking, cook couscous according to package directions. Fluff with a fork, and stir in pimentos, parsley and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.