Leon’s (not too) spicy chicken cous cous
One of the most delicious meals ever! This has been cooked in our house more than any other- and that’s saying something!
15 mins
25 min
624 kcal
15 mins
25 min
624 kcal
SERVES
4
DIFFICULTY
EASY
SERVES
4
Difficulty
EASY
I have got lots of firm favourites from it. I urge you to try this (not too) spicy chicken cous cous, as it is seriously delicious! I have really reduced the amount of oil and butter in this to make it work for Slimming World, but it’s still completely yummy!
I think one of the reasons I love this so much is that it was the first proper meal I ate after the birth of my first daughter and I was starving, and sleep-deprived and shellshocked and it just took all of that away- it’s such comfort food! The garlicky roast tomatoes, mixed with the spicy chicken, juicy raisins, crunchy sunflower seeds and lemon and herbs is just to die for!
The original Leon recipe uses pine-nuts rather than sunflower seeds, but I always substitute these as pine-nuts are so expensive and the sunflower seeds work perfectly.
Would you like more meal ideas using chicken? Here are some of my favourites:
Lemony turmeric potato and chicken traybake
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Leon’s (not too) spicy chicken cous cous
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cut into big chunks
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp curry powder
- 300 g cous cous
- 25 g raisins
- 500 ml chicken stock
- salt
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
- handful chopped fresh mint
- handful chopped fresh coriander
- lemon to serve
- FOR THE GARLICKY TOMATOES
- 200 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Put the chicken pieces into an ovenproof dish. Mix the chilli, cinnamon, garlic, salt, 1/2 tbsp olive oil and curry powder together. Coat the chicken and leave it for 20 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 220c. Mix 1 tsp olive oil, and 3 cloves chopped garlic together in a bowl and stir in the tomatoes, coating with the oil. Lay these out in a single layer on a baking tray. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Put the cous cous and raisins into a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil thoroughly until the grains are coated. Cover with chicken stock. lay a tea towel over the top and leave for 5 minutes.
- Mix the cous cous well into the chicken, pushing the raisins below the surface and cook on the top shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. (Cook the tomatoes at the same time)
- Place the tomatoes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes.
- While these are cooking, lightly toast the sunflower seeds (just dry fry them in a frying pan)
- To serve, scatter the sunflower seeds and chopped herbs over the top, and then serve with a generous wedge of lemon on the side.
