Moroccan Chicken & Cauliflower Couscous Salad
A vibrant and healthy mid-week dinner
30 Jan 2016 30 mins 4
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This is a fantastic midweek meal that is super healthy, seriously delicious and could quite possibly become a weekly regular, it’s that good. The chicken is covered in a homemade Moroccan rub, and raw cauliflower couscous is a low carb alternative that is packed with fresh flavours, thanks to a trio of herbs.
Ingredients
4 x chicken breasts, skin on
Spice rub
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 small cinnamon sticks, broken up
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
¼ cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
(tip – you can use two tablespoons of store bought Moroccan spice mixed with 4 tablespoons of olive oil instead of making your own spice blend).
Couscous
500 grams cauliflower florets
1 small red onion, diced
¼ cup whole skin on almonds, roughly chopped
¼ cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper
½ cup basil leaves, finely chopped
½ cup mint leaves, finely chopped
½ cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 x spice/coffee grinder
1 x food processor with blade attachment
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Spice rub: Place the cumin, coriander and cinnamon in a dry fry pan over a medium heat and toast for 4-5 minutes until fragrant. Tip them into your spice grinder and blitz until you have a fine dust. Place the ground spices in a large bowl with the chilli powder, paprika and brown sugar and mix well. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix until well combined. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and cover them thoroughly in the spice rub.
Place the chicken breasts in a deep ovenproof dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Couscous: Place the cauliflower florets in your food processor and blitz until you have what looks like fine breadcrumbs. Tip into a serving bowl and set aside. Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, almonds and apricots and sauté for 7-8 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes then add to the cauliflower and mix well. To finish, stir through the lemon zest, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper, then add the chopped herbs.
Divide the cauliflower couscous evenly between four plates, top with a chicken breast and you’re ready to eat.
