Vegetable couscous recipe and spiced chicken thigh
Eastern flavors that liven up your everyday menu!
A couscous recipe always comes in handy when you’re tired of potato or pasta side dishes. I was craving a vegetable couscous after all the pasta dishes I made this week. But I didn’t want a recipe like a previous one (Grilled vegetables with chimichurri sauce and couscous); instead, I longed for something with an Eastern flavor. If you want to spice up your everyday menu, you should definitely try this recipe!
Couscous recipe
I didn’t fuss too much over the vegetables. These days I buy frozen mixed vegetables – not out of laziness, but for variety. You can get Italian, Greek or Mexican style mixes – full of tasty and special vegetables (available at Aldi and Lidl too). You just need one skillet, heat it up, and it’s ready.
I did the same now, but with the difference that I seasoned the veggie mix (which included baby corn, carrot and broccoli) with turmeric and lightly fried it. I mixed that into the steamed couscous, which you know is nothing complicated since it’s done in 5 minutes. So the side dish was done in about 6 minutes net time. (Cooking couscous here.)
e-book (pdf)
Vegetáriánus ételek egészségesen
Ha húsmentesen étkezel, ha vega vagy, biztosan ismerős a szitu, amikor már alig találsz új receptet magadnak. A rántott gombából eleged van. Amit az éttermekben adnak vega kajaként az full unalmas, és valahogy neked sincs már ötleted, hogy mit főzzél otthon.
Ebből a receptfüzetből minden alkalomra tudsz majd vegetáriánus étel ötleteket meríteni.
Spiced chicken thigh
The chicken thighs took a little longer to cook. This time, I chose juicier thighs instead of breasts. I removed the skin because I never eat it. (Not only because it’s fatty and unhealthy, but also because I don’t like it.) I rubbed the resulting “naked” chicken legs with my favorite Kentucky seasoning and a little olive oil. I left them to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then put them in the oven and steamed them under aluminum foil until tender, and finally browned them a little.
A yogurt dressing goes perfectly with spicy chicken legs and creamy couscous. I made this dill and yogurt cucumber salad to go with it. These ingredients created a heavenly flavor combination.
Vegetable couscous recipe and spiced chicken thigh
Ingredients
For the spiced chicken thigh:
- 4 chicken upper thighs (400 g)
- 20 g “Kentucky” poultry seasoning salt (I used the Kania brand from Lidl)
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil (for marination and baking)
For the vegetable couscous:
- 240 g 240 g couscous (dry weight)
- 400 ml water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ladles of vegetable broth or stock (if you have it; otherwise a bit of salted hot water works too)
- 200 g frozen vegetable mix
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ bunch of parsley (chopped)
Instructions
Spiced chicken thigh:
- Remove the skin from the chicken thighs, wash them, then pat them dry with kitchen paper.Put the meat into a mixing bowl, sprinkle with the seasoning, drizzle with olive oil, and rub it in. Cover the bowl with foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.After marinating, place in a heat-resistant dish, cover it with foil, and bake in a 200 °C (392°F) oven for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and roast for another 10-15 minutes to brown.
Vegetable couscous:
- Bring 400 ml water to a boil with the teaspoon of salt. Once boiling, remove from heat, stir in the couscous, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. After it’s softened, fluff the grains with a fork to get a light, airy texture.Place the frozen vegetables in a deep skillet. Drizzle a little olive oil and heat on high. The vegetables will thaw, then start to fry. Once they start browning, sprinkle turmeric over and continue frying.Add the steamed couscous, and if you have vegetable broth or stock, pour in two ladles of it so it’s not too dry. If not, a bit of salty hot water will do.Mix everything well and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.
