Moroccan Grilled Chicken & Couscous with Roasted Peppers Salad

For today's recipe we move outside of our comfort zone of Italian/Mexican/Chinese/Surinamese to something a bit different!!!

This delicious salad is great as a main course but can also be eaten as part of a picnic or as a starter. The North African flavours of cinnamon, coriander, paprika and cumin are prominent in this dish, and the addition of fresh mint gives it a really aromatic powerful flavour. An important spice mix in North Africa is Ras-el-hanout, which will typically comprise all the traditional spices such as cumin, paprika, coriander, chili powder, cinnamon and fenugreek. There are many local variations of ras-el-hanout, but the base ingredients as listed above should all be present. 



Couscous is a grain made from durum wheat semolina and is steamed (often several times) to give it a light fluffy texture. Authentic couscous is steamed slowly over a pot of stew using a special cooking pot called a couscoussier. These days however, most couscous sold in supermarkets is instant couscous and requires only boiling water. If you can get the authentic dried couscous then go for it, but the instant variety will also give you good results if you are careful in how you prepare it.

By marinating the chicken breasts with a little oil mixed in with the spices they will remain succulent and moist after they are grilled.

Ingredients

500g chicken breasts (2-3 breasts)

2 Tb ras-el-hanout spice mix*

2 Tb olive oil

400g instant couscous

1.2 L boiling chicken or vegetable stock

25g butter

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 fresh red chili pepper
1 courgette
1 red onion
1 small white onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
50g pine nuts
1 handful fresh coriander leaves
1 handful fresh mint leaves
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lemon

6 yellow bell peppers, halved vertically
2 tsp olive oil

*If you can't get Ras-el-hanout spice mix, you can replace this with a combination of cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, allspice and turmeric.

Method

Clean and remove the fat from 500g whole chicken breasts. To give an even thickness flatten the breasts slightly between 2 sheets of clingfilm using a meat tenderiser. Transfer to a bowl. 

Mix the ras-el-hanout spice mix together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and pour this mixture over the chicken breasts, and leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan with no oil over a medium heat, making sure not to burn them. Set aside and leave to cool.

Make the couscous according to the instructions on the packet. For a deeper savoury taste use chicken or vegetable stock instead of just boiling water. Let the couscous stand for at least 10 minutes before using a fork to gently separate the couscous grains. Add the butter to the couscous and let this melt in.

Remove the seeds from the green and red bell peppers and cut into strips of about 1.5cm wide. Halve the chili pepper vertically and remove the seeds from this as well. Slice the courgette into even slices of around 1/2cm in thickness. Peel and quarter the red and white onions. Separate each quarter into 2 along the layers.

Place the bell pepper strips, chili pepper, courgette slices and onion pieces onto a baking tray and sprinkle lightly with olive oil. Place the baking tray directly under the grill and grill the vegetables until they begin to caramelise, about 8-10 minutes. Turn over half way through. The vegetables should be starting to darken around the edges and should be soft, without turning mushy. Set aside to cool, but leave the grill on and turn it up to a high heat.

Preheat the oven to 220 C.

Slice the 6 yellow bell peppers vertically down the middle and remove the seeds and white membrane from each half. Place the pepper halves onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast these in a hot oven for about 15 minutes until softened.

   

Place the chicken breasts onto a sheet of aluminium foil covered baking tray and grill them for about 6-7 minutes on each side, until darkened on the outside. To check if the chicken is cooked thoroughly in the middle, cut one of the chicken breasts in half. It should be completely white all the way through, with no traces of pink. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Slice each chicken breast into thin slices and drizzle with the juices released from grilling.

Transfer the couscous into a large bowl. Add the grilled vegetables and mix thoroughly. Add the spices and mix again. Chop the fresh coriander and mint leaves finely and sprinkle these over the couscous. Add the toasted pine nuts, and then drizzle with olive oil, mixing well. Finish by squeezing the juice of half a lemon over the couscous.

Serve the couscous in the upturned yellow bell pepper halves, with the grilled chicken on top.

Besseha! Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW?
Ras-el-hanout means "head of the shop" and basically means the best the shop has to offer.

DID YOU KNOW?
Couscous is sometimes served at the end of a meal, mixed with cinnamon, sugar and almonds in a dish called seffa, and served with buttermilk or milk infused with rose water.