Skillet Chicken and Couscous with Pomegranate Sauce

Amarante

Mon, Oct 28 2019, 10:04 pm

This was a nice easy weekday chicken prep. When I do a pan sauté of chicken breasts I do pound them a bit to flatten them so they cook more evenly.

I use whole wheat couscous and it really was a complete meal with the spinach added to the couscous. I did open up a bag of salad mix as well. A nice crisp tossed salad always goes well.

They sell packages of the pomegranate arils if you don't want to go through the hassle of getting them from a fresh pomegranate. The trick is to deseed them underwater.

I have a fondness for pomegranates. I even have a special shirt that is covered with pomegranate stains from my indulging in eating the fresh ones. When I was a child I didn't know they were called pomegranates as my father called them Chinese Apples.

Notes indicate you can use rotisserie chicken and that would make this an almost non-prep meal but I did start with raw chicken breasts.

Skillet Chicken and Couscous with Pomegranate Sauce

Excerpt From: The Editors of Cooking Light. “Cooking that Counts: 1,200- to 1,500-Calorie Meal Plans to Lose Weight Deliciously

410 TOTAL CALORIES

Hands-on: 22 minutes
Total: 22 minutes

Serves: 4 (serving size: about 5 ounces chicken, ¼ of the couscous mixture, and 2 tablespoons sauce)

The pomegranate sauce contributes to a sweet-and-sour flavor with the balsamic vinegar. Using rotisserie chicken helps speed up prep and cook time.

3 (7-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
½ cup uncooked couscous
½ cup sliced red onion
¼ cup pomegranate arils
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Sprinkle the chicken with ½ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan; swirl to coat. Add the chicken to the pan; cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 160°F, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the pomegranate juice, vinegar, sugar, and ¼ cup of the stock to the pan; bring to a boil. Cook until syrupy and reduced by half, about 1 minute and 30 seconds, scraping to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add ½ cup of the stock; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly syrupy, about 3 minutes.

2. Heat the remaining ¼ cup stock in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the spinach, couscous, and onion; cover and cook until the spinach is wilted and the couscous is done, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

3. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Divide the chicken and couscous mixture among 4 bowls. Drizzle the sauce over the mixture. Sprinkle with the pomegranate arils and parsley.

CALORIES 410; FAT 13.2g (sat 2g, mono 6.4g, poly 3.1g); PROTEIN 38g; CARB 35g; FIBER 5g; SUGARS 6g (est. added sugars 3g); CHOL 95mg; IRON 4mg; SODIUM 806mg; CALCIUM 85mg

Amarante

Mon, Oct 28 2019, 10:12 pm

We are so limited in our ability to eat interesting food at restaurants that I like to indulge my curiosity by cooking. I try to find recipes that are basically not that hard to make but just using different ingredients which elevate them a bit.

Basically my chicken breast recipes are sautéing the chicken and then making a pan sauce by deglazing the pan with some kind of liquid (wine or chicken stock) and then some flavorful ingredients. Similarly most braised beef or lamb recipes follow a similar formula - you sear off the meat - sauté the aromatics (garlic, onion etc) add back the meat with liquid and then add vegetables if you are going for a stew type of dish. Then they just hang out in the oven.:-). Braised meats are especially easy because they are better the next day anyway.

ETA - I do like relaxing by reading recipes. I call it my food p0rn LOL