Lemon Chicken Couscous (Printable Version)
Chicken and pearl couscous swim in a sunshiney lemony broth with herbs—super satisfying and feels good to eat.
# Everything You’ll Need:
→ For the Soup Base
01 -
Small bunch of parsley, fresh
02 -
Water, just enough to cover the chicken
03 -
8 chicken thighs, bone and skin on
→ Vegetables and Aromatics
04 -
4 celery sticks with leaves, diced up
05 -
1 yellow onion, diced
06 -
1 tablespoon olive oil
→ Seasoning
07 -
Salt and ground black pepper, use as much as you like
08 -
Seasoning salt like Cancale, or reach for lemon pepper, garlic pepper, or herbes de Provence if you want
→ For the Soup Assembly
09 -
Fresh dill, chopped (about 1/3 cup), keep extra for tossing on top
10 -
1 cup pearl couscous
11 -
Juice from 1 lemon
→ For Serving
12 -
Extra-virgin olive oil for finishing
13 -
Oyster crackers, saltines, or dukkah if you're feeling fancy
# Steps to Cook:
01 -
Scoop piping hot bowls and finish with some extra dill, a bit of olive oil, and maybe dukkah or crackers for crunch. You're ready to eat.
02 -
Squeeze in your fresh lemon juice and throw in the chopped dill. Let that gently bubble for about 5 minutes.
03 -
Put your chicken meat and defatted stock back in the pot. Let it come to a boil, turn down the heat, and let everything bubble away—leave the pot uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until that couscous is soft. Add salt and pepper at the end.
04 -
Now it’s time for the pearl couscous. Scoop it into the pan and stir it for a couple minutes.
05 -
Take a second to wipe out your pot. Pop it back on medium heat, drizzle in the olive oil, then add celery and onion. Stir it around for around 5 minutes until it’s nice and soft. Shower in the seasoning salt and mix well. Taste and add more if you like.
06 -
Once two hours have ticked by, fish out the chicken and drop it in a bowl. Pour your broth through a sieve to catch any bits and toss the old parsley. Peel off the chicken skin and get rid of it. Pull the meat off the bones and tear it into little shreds. Put the meat together with the strained broth.
07 -
Grab a big pot (like 3.5 liters). Place the chicken thighs in the pot, hit it with a generous pinch of salt, then lay the parsley right on top. Pour in water so the chicken is totally covered. Heat it up to a boil, drop the heat low, cover it up, and let it slowly simmer for about two hours.
# Extra Suggestions:
01 -
If you want deeper flavor, try making the chicken stock ahead—chill it and the fat on top turns solid so it's super easy to scoop off.