Ras el Hanout chicken and couscous

This is one of our favourite summer recipes. Warm and fragrant Morroccan spices combined with fresh tasting lime, rocket and coriander. It can be as light or as filling as you make it, depending on how much you eat! And it works quite happily warm or cold.

It’s also entirely possible to make a vegetarian version – just swap the chicken skewers for roasted butternut squash. Alternatively, you can also just stir the roasted veggies into the couscous salad and omit the chicken (or squash) completely. I often do this if I want something quick and easy for lunches or picnics.

The original recipe was featured in the June 2015 issue of the Slimming World magazine, but has been adapted to account for hubbie’s dislike of beetroot and my desire to incorporate more speed food.

Hope you like it as much as we do 🙂

Serves 4

Syn Free on Extra Easy

Ingredients

For the vegetables:

• Frylight (use the garlic one for extra flavour)
• 1 large red onion, chopped into roughly 2cm chunks
• 2 large courgettes, chopped into roughly 2cm chunks
• 4 peppers, chopped into roughly 2cm chunks
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Salt and pepper

For the chicken:

• 4 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp Ras el Hanout spice mix
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 200g fat free Greek yogurt

For the couscous salad:

• 200g couscous
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained
• 400ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp Ras el Hanout spice mix
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp dried coriander
• 1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 pack pomegranate seeds
• ½ pack rocket leaves, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Spray a roasting tin with Frylight and add the chopped onion, courgettes and peppers
3. Spray again with Frylight and then sprinkle over the cumin seeds and cinnamon
4. Toss thoroughly to coat then bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and slightly charred at the edges
5. In a bowl combine the garlic, lime zest, lime juice and all the spices for the chicken skewers with the fat free Greek yogurt and mix well
6. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chicken, tossing thoroughly to coat
7. Thread the chicken pieces onto metal skewers and grill on a high heat for approx 12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, turning once
8. Meanwhile combine the stock and remaining spices for the couscous salad
9. Place the couscous and chickpeas in a large bowl, pour over the spiced stock and cover
10. When all the liquid is absorbed, stir lightly with a fork to separate the grains
11. Add the chopped rocket, spring onions and pomegranate seeds to the couscous and chickpea mix and stir thoroughly to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste
12. Use a fork to slide the cooked chicken off the skewers and serve on a bed of the couscous salad and roasted vegetables

N.B. If you can’t find a ready made Ras el Hanout spice mix, there’s a good recipe here: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2219640/raselhanout-spice-mix

P.S. Here’s the earlier version before hubbie discovered he didn’t like beetroot!