Ingredients
- Za’atar Chicken and Israeli Couscous with Asparagus and Lemon Compote
- Serves 4
- If you can find Pink lemons, try them. They have a nice acidic bite, but a nice sweet taste. Any lemon will do if you can't find them.
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cup Israeli or pearl couscous
- 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon za'atar spice
- 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 2 pink lemons (or any lemon), zested and segmented
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups kale, washed, chopped
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- sliced chives for garnish
Instructions
In a saucepan over high heat, bring chicken broth, water and some salt to a boil. Add couscous and cook over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes or until done. add more water if couscous is a little dry. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, sprinkle salt, pepper and spices over chicken breasts. In a skillet with olive oil over medium high heat, add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes each side until cooked through. Remove chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
Using a small knife, cut the segments from the lemons over a small bowl and squeeze the remaining juice from the rinds over the segments and add agave syrup, salt, pepper and mix gently. Set aside.
To the chicken skillet, add some olive oil over medium high heat and add kale, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add asparagus and 1/4 cup water and cook for 2 minutes or until asparagus is cooked through. Add cooked couscous, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and taste for seasoning. Add a little water if the couscous is too dry.
To serve: add couscous to plate and top with chicken and place some lemon compote on each piece of chicken and garnish with chives.
