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Total Time:
2 hrs 10 mins
For the chicken
- 300 g
couscous
- 2
preserved lemons, drained and roughly chopped
- 25 g
pomegranate seeds
- 25 g
flaked almonds
small handful mint, roughly chopped
- 50 g
unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp.
sumac
- 1 tsp.
za'atar
finely grated zest 1 lemon
- 40 g
dried apricots, roughly chopped
- 1
large chicken, approx. 1.7kg
For the dressing
- 100 g
plain natural yoghurt
- 1
medium cucumber, peeled and julienned
Small handful mint, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp.
tahini
juice 1/2 lemon
- Step 1Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Put couscous in a medium bowl and pour over 450ml freshly boiled water. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to soak for 10min. Fluff with a fork, then mix through the preserved lemons, pomegranate seeds, flaked almonds, mint and some seasoning. Tip 2/3 of the couscous into a medium ovenproof dish (that will fit the chicken) and stir the apricots into the remaining 1/3.
- Step 2Mix butter, sumac, za’atar, lemon zest and some seasoning in a small bowl.
- Step 3Loosely stuff the chicken cavity with the reserved couscous and put in the dish, breast-side up. Rub butter mixture all over the chicken. Roast for 1hr 30min-1hr 40min, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp. To check it is cooked, insert a fork into thickest part of the breast and check that juices run golden and clear.
- Step 4Meanwhile make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, mint, tahini, lemon juice and seasoning. Cover and chill until needed.
- Step 5Once the chicken is cooked, remove the couscous stuffing from the cavity and dish and divide between plates. Transfer the chicken to a board and carve. Divide chicken among the plates and drizzle over the dressing.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 692
- Protein: 45g
- Total fat: 37g
- Saturates: 12g
- Carbs: 44g
- Total sugars: 7g
- Fibre: 4g

An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
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