This scrumptious and hassle-free dinner will tantalize your taste buds! One-Pot Spiced Chicken with Toasted Couscous is an easy recipe with a perfect blend of aromatic spices and fluffy couscous, all cooked together in one pot for an easy cleanup.
Why Choose One-Pot Spiced Chicken with Toasted Couscous:
- Simplicity at its Best: With all the magic happening in just one pot, this recipe minimizes your cleanup time and maximizes your time actually spending time with your family at the dinner table.
- Aromatic and Wholesome: Infused with an array of spices, the tender chicken and toasted couscous create a wholesome and aromatic meal that’s perfect for any night of the week.
- Family-Friendly and Versatile: From picky eaters to adventurous foodies, everyone will adore the blend of flavors in this dish, making it a versatile option for all kinds of taste preferences.
The Ingredients
- Israeli couscous (sometimes called pearl couscous)
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Carrots
- Dried apricots
- Low sodium chicken stock
- kosher salt
- ground cumin
- ground cinnamon
How to Make One Pot Spiced Chicken with Toasted Couscous
- Toast the Couscous: In a 2-inch deep sauté pan over medium heat, dry toast the couscous for 3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a plate.
- Sauté:Heat the oil in the pan. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Combine: Add the couscous back to the pan, along with all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine well.
- Bring to a Boil and Simmer: Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 22-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Substitutions/Additions
- Protein Variations: Swap the chicken thighs for chicken breasts or even firm tofu for a vegetarian twist.
- Apricot Subs: If you don’t have dried apricots on hand, try substituting golden raisins.
- Israeli Couscous: If you can’t find Israeli couscous, you can substitute brown rice. Cook until the rice is fluffy and the liquid is absorbed.
More One Pot/Pan Recipes:
- Sheet Pan Sausage with Cabbage and Apples
- One Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetable Dinner
- Sheet Pan Pancake
- Japanese Vegetable Curry
Toasted couscous, bite-sized pieces of tender chicken, plump apricots and carrots, all lightly coated with aromatic spices, come together to create one heavenly Moroccan inspired meal. Your family may even take care of cleaning the one lone pot….by licking every last drop out of it!
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about this recipe and tag me on social media if you make it!
Images by Ivan Solis
One Pot Spiced Chicken with Toasted Couscous
One-Pot Spiced Chicken with Toasted Couscous is an easy recipe with a perfect blend of aromatic spices and fluffy couscous, all cooked together in one pot for an easy cleanup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Israeli couscous (sometimes called pearl couscous)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch coins
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a 2-inch deep sauté pan over medium heat, dry toast the couscous for 3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a plate.
- Heat the oil in the pan. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the couscous back to the pan, along with all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 22-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Notes
Substitution Tip: Substitute chicken breasts for thighs if you prefer white meat. Cut into 1-inch cubes if you use chicken breasts and only cook 10-12 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 798mg | Potassium: 922mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 5736IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!
Step One: Dry toast the couscous to get a golden brown color. Then Step Three: add the couscous pack to the pot with the remaining ingredients!
Looks great, want to make this! But I am also confused as to how to cook the couscous.
Step One: Dry toast the couscous to get a golden brown color. Then Step Three: add the couscous pack to the pot with the remaining ingredients!
Yes, I am confused too as to how to cook the couscous. Thx!
Couscous is uncooked…. straight from the package…
Step One: Dry toast the couscous to get a golden brown color. Then Step Three: add the couscous pack to the pot with the remaining ingredients!
Agreed on incomplete directions/instructions.
Two key pieces of info needed:
Is 1 cup israeli couscous cooked or uncooked to do dry toasting?
If uncooked, how long for couscous to plump up and cook through compared to chicken?
Chicken and dried apricots! Such a delicious combination, Thank you, Catherine!
Love any simple dinner idea. Thanks, Catherine.
Yes, in Step Three you put the couscous back into the pan with the remaining ingredients!
Instructions seem incomplete. Do you put toasted couscous back in pan and cook with rest of ingredients?
Yes! Add the couscous back to the pan in Step Three!
Looks delicious and LOVE the one-pottedness. Quick question, do you add the couscous back in with the other ingredients to simmer?
Put the couscous back into the pan to simmer with all the remaining ingredients in Step Three!
I think we all have the same question here. If you aren’t green to cooking like myself, the most rational guess would be toast the dry couscous then add into the pot with the ingredients and broth and it will cook up in the end. I might hold off adding the couscous a 5 minutes until after the chicken has cooked some of the way.
Makes the most sense
I feel like I’m being dense here, but just to clarify, you don’t cook the couscous beyond toasting it for 3 minutes in the beginning? Or do you put it back in the pot when you simmer everything for 10-12 minutes?
I’m not going to lie, you had me at “one pot.” This looks like a winner to me.