For a super speedy and flavoursome dinner option, give this preserved lemon and thyme chicken couscous salad a go. Preserved lemon is our favourite cheat's ingredient as it adds the most wonderful zing to any dish it is added into. We've grilled the chicken in the oven to make this as hands off as possible and the end result is delicious.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Cal/Serv:
551
Ingredients
4
preserved lemons, halved, flesh and pips discarded
3
thyme sprigs, leaves picked
2
garlic cloves, peeled
4Tbsp.
rapeseed or olive oil
3Tbsp.
runny honey
6
chicken thigh fillets, fat trimmed
200g
giant couscous
175g
frozen petit pois
200g
fine green beans, trimmed
handful pitted green olives, chopped
25g
each fresh parsley and mint, roughly chopped
juice 1/2 lemon
Directions
Step 1
Preheat grill to medium-high. Blend the preserved lemon rind, thyme and garlic in a food processor until fairly smooth (or finely chop by hand). Scrape into a large bowl and mix in 2tbsp each of the oil and honey. Stir through the chicken.
Step 2
Arrange coated chicken on a rack set over a roasting tin. Grill, turning halfway, for 15min or until cooked through and golden. Lift on to a board to rest. Scrape cooking juices from the tin into a small bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add couscous and cook for 3min, then add the petit pois and beans and cook for a further 4min. Drain into a colander and cool under cold running water. Drain well, then empty on to a large serving plate. Stir through olives and herbs.
Step 4
Whisk remaining oil, honey and lemon juice into bowl of reserved juices and season to taste. Slice the chicken and scatter it over the couscous. Drizzle over dressing and serve.
GH TIP: We prefer cooking with chicken thighs as they retain their juiciness better than breasts.
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”!).
