Simple, healthy, and flavourful chicken and couscous with sun-dried tomatoes take under 30 minutes to prep and cook. Pan-seared and sliced chicken cutlets are tossed into a bowl of light and fluffy couscous, pan-fried red onions and sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. This quick and easy dinner is perfect for busy weeknights. In fact, you can make things even faster by using rotisserie chicken. Either way, once you pick up a fork you won’t be able to put it back down. This one is definitely a keeper.
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 18 minutes | Category: Chicken | Method: Stovetop | Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Table of Contents
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 cup whole-wheat couscous, uncooked
- 2 chicken cutlets (approximately ½ – ¾ lbs. total)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium red onion
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil (plus more for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add couscous, stir, then cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Set aside until needed.
- Use a paper towel and pat dry the chicken cutlets completely. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
- In a medium skillet or sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add chicken and cook until evenly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
- Remove chicken and place on a plate. When cool, cut into bite-size pieces.
- In the same skillet, add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked couscous, chicken, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. Stir to combine, then serve garnished with additional basil and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.
NOTES
- How to serve. Chicken and couscous is a complete meal on its own. But you can certainly pair it with a few more dishes if you would like. I often pair this with a fresh salad on the side such as Chopped Asparagus Salad, Mediterranean Chickpea Wedge Salad, Persian Shirazi Salad with Cucumber and Tomato, and Greek Salad.
- Use rotisserie chicken. The chicken cutlets cook up so fast on the stove, but this would be just as delicious with shredded rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken. Use whatever makes your life easier.
- How to store. Chicken and couscous with sun-dried tomatoes are best served fresh. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until warmed through. You may want to add another drizzle of olive oil if it has dried up too much when stored and reheated.
