We tend to have a lot highly spiced food and sometimes it’s good to have something with more delicate flavours.
Here I use skin on chicken breast for added flavour when cooking. The dish is just as lovely without the sauce if you are trying to reduce your fat intake.
4 x skin on chicken breast fillets
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
1 tbsp plain flour
200 g couscous
400 ml chicken stock, Hot
1/2 tsp salt
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 spring onions, sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Sauce
1 banana shallot or half an onion, finely diced
100 ml white wine or dry vermouth
100 ml chicken stock
3 tbsp creme fraiche
Sprinkle thyme leaves over the skin of the chicken, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle the flour over the skin, gently press down to help it stick.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium/low heat. Add a splash of vegetable oil and place the chicken skin side down. Use the back of a spatula to press the fillets flat onto the pan. Leave to fry gently for 5-7 minutes. Keep checking that the skin isn’t burning. Once the skin is crisp and golden, Turn the breasts over and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the breasts to a warm baking tray to rest.
While the breasts are cooking, put the couscous and salt in a pan or bowl, pour over the hot stock. Cover with a lid or plate and leave undisturbed for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spring onions, olive oil and parsley, fork through and set aside to keep warm.
Sauce
In the frying pan in which you cooked the breast, add the shallots along with knob of butter and cook for a few minutes over a low heat, scraping the bits stuck to the pan. Turn the heat high, pour in the wine and let it bubble and reduce by half. Add the stock and a good grinding of black pepper and bubble for 3-5 minutes. Finally stir in the creme fraiche.
To serve
Divide the couscous between 4 plates, slice the chicken in half and arrange on the couscous. Serve with the sauce on the side – don’t pour the sauce over the chicken because you’ll loose the lovely crisp skin.
Pan cooked chicken with couscous
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken breast fillet - skin on
- 2 sprigs thyme leaves picked
- 1 tbsp flour
- 200 g couscous
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 400 ml chicken stock Hot
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 4 spring onions sliced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
Sauce
- 1 banana shallot finely diced
- 100 ml white wine
- 100 ml chicken stock
- 3 tbsp creme fraiche
Instructions
- Sprinkle thyme leaves over the skin of the chicken, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle the flour over the skin, gently press down to help it stick.
- Heat a large frying pan over a medium/low heat. Add a splash of vegetable oil and place the chicken skin side down. Use the back of a spatula to press the fillets flat onto the pan. Leave to fry gently for 5-7 minutes. Keep checking that the skin isn't burning. Once the skin is crisp and golden, Turn the breasts over and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the breasts to a warm baking tray to rest.
- While the breasts are cooking, put the couscous and salt in a pan or bowl, pour over the hot stock. Cover with a lid or plate and leave undisturbed for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spring onions, olive oil and parsley, fork through and set aside to keep warm.
Sauce
- In the frying pan in which you cooked the breast, add the shallots along with knob of butter and cook for a few minutes over a low heat, scraping the bits stuck to the pan. Turn the heat high, pour in the wine and let it bubble and reduce by half. Add the stock and a good grinding of black pepper and bubble for 3-5 minutes. Finally stir in the creme fraiche.
To Serve
- Divide the couscous between 4 plates, slice the chicken in half and arrange on the couscous. Serve with the sauce on the side - don't pour the sauce over the chicken because you'll loose the lovely crisp skin.
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