Chicken skewers & couscous
With lemony yoghurt
35 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 2
About the recipe
Serving chunks of tender chicken on skewers with a zingy lemon-spiked yoghurt and crushed nuts for dipping is both fun and delicious. Chicken breast is not only the leanest cut from the bird, but it’s also high in phosphorus, which you need to keep your bones and teeth strong and healthy. Served with a lovely couscous salad with plenty of fresh parsley, ripe tomatoes and lemon juice, this is a great, healthy twist on a Middle-Eastern mezze. You’ll need the skewers to fit comfortably in your pan, so quickly double check before you start, cutting them to fit, if needed.
Ingredients
150g green beans
150g couscous
1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g)
200g ripe plum tomatoes
½ a red onion
2 free-range chicken breasts
1 lemon
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
olive oil
200g fat-free natural yoghurt
25g cashew nuts
Method
- Fill a medium pan with water and bring to the boil.
- Meanwhile, trim and chop the beans into 3cm pieces, then add to the pan. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beans to a plate.
- Place the couscous into a bowl, pour over 225ml of the boiling water, cover with a plate and set aside.
- On a clean board, pick and finely chop the parsley leaves, roughly chop the tomatoes, then peel and finely chop the onion. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, then stir through the parsley leaves, tomatoes, onion, green beans and half the lemon juice.
- Place the chicken on a board, cover with a layer of clingfilm and bash gently with the bottom of a heavy pan.
- Remove the clingfilm, and finely grate over the lemon zest. Pick and roughly chop the rosemary leaves, then sprinkle over the chicken. Season well with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of oil, then turn the chicken over in the flavours to coat.
- Push 3 skewers horizontally into each chicken breast (if they’re too long, cut the skewers in half).
- Squeeze the remaining lemon juice into a bowl, stir in the yoghurt, then season to taste.
- Place a medium frying pan on a medium heat and add the nuts. Lightly toast, then transfer to a board and roughly chop.
- Return the pan to the heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, add the chicken and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning regularly.
- Season the couscous, then spoon onto serving plates adding the chopped nuts in little piles alongside.
- On a clean board, slice the chicken between the skewers, then place 3 on each plate. Serve with the yoghurt for dipping and dunking in the crunchy nuts.
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