Friday, July 17, 2009

lemon-yogurt chicken with raisin-pecan couscous

So Mamatouille was just mindin' her own business one day when WHAM! This luscious combination hit her with full foodie force. She wrote the idea down and the dream became reality yesterday. It's another yasashii (gentle)-to-you-in-the-heat-of-summer meal - you don't need a rice cooker this time, though, just a slow cooker (oh, and a pot on the stove for about five minutes).

The sour/creamy chicken is SO delish with the sweet/crunchy couscous underneath - I hope you try it, and if you do, let me know how it works out for you!

These are all approximate amounts because I was just conjuring, so do as you like if you decide to make it in your neck of the woods.

For the chicken you'll need:

  • 15 boneless chicken tenders, left whole
  • healthy slosh of white wine
  • a few generous splashes of lemon juice
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • minced garlic to taste
  • 2 t. salt (this was a bit salty for me but just right for hubby)
  • a few sprinkles of ground cumin
  • a dash or two of cayenne pepper, depending on your heat tolerance
For the yogurt sauce you'll need:

  • 450 g (about 2.5 cups) plain yogurt (one full Japanese carton)
  • 2.5 T. flour
  • chopped parsley
  • seasoned salt
  • turmeric (for that nice sunshiney color)
For the couscous you'll need:

  • 1 c. couscous
  • 1 1/4 c. water
  • olive oil
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 1/2 c. raisins (or golden raisins or chopped dates)
  • 1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans (you can toast them in a 350 F/180 C oven, spread out on a pan, for about 5-10 minutes, stirring them halfway through - it took mine about 7 or 8 minutes)

Do this:

Combine all the chicken ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for about 8 hours on low or about 4 hours on high (I did it the slow way and it was nice and tender). Then shred the chicken with forks, right in the slow cooker.

Whisk the yogurt and flour together in a bowl (this will keep the yogurt from separating), then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Pour that into the slow cooker with the chicken, and allow to heat up for a few minutes. Shouldn't take long.

In a pot on the stove, boil the 1 1/4 water, crushed bouillon cube, and olive oil, then add the couscous and raisins, turn off the heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes till the water is all absorbed and the raisins are plump. Stir the pecans in with a fork.

Plate it up, enjoy all the contrasting flavors and textures, and say, "Oishii!" (Yummy!).

12 comments:

FOODalogue said...

Wham is right. Great combo. I particularly like your treatment of the chicken and I always like adding a little crunch of nuts to couscous.

Cate said...

score! i have all the ingredients for this already in my kitchen. it sounds like something my family and i will devour immediately. thanks, abigail!

K and S said...

sounds great! just curious as to how/where you found pecans??

The Duo Dishes said...

Oh that couscous is great. Savory and sweet with a crunch.

Abigail (aka Mamatouille) said...

Joan - Thanks! Crunchy couscous rocks. :)

Cate - Yea! Let me know how you make it and how you guys like it! :)

K and S - Sadly, the pecans were the last of my freezer stash from America (from a couple of years ago). I was so sad to see them go! Hope you can find some - I'll let you know if I see any out and about. :)

Duo Dishes - Thanks, guys! It was pretty yummy couscous - I loved the toasty pecan taste. :)

Reeni said...

This sounds awesome! I love sweet and savory combos. I think dried cranberries would work too!? Instead of raisins.

Abigail (aka Mamatouille) said...

Reeni - You know, I was thinking this morning about my lemon-cranberry bread pudding, and I thought cranberries would work in this, too! Funny, we had the same idea. I bet dried cherries would be good, too. Mmmmmm. Or even chopped prunes. Any sweet dried fruit. How about dried apricots? Thanks for your comment - have a good weekend! :)

K and S said...

I just bought a bag at Sam's Club and will be transporting them back with me to Japan!

Abigail (aka Mamatouille) said...

K and S - That's a really great idea! I don't know if I've ever seen any around these parts.

Ivy said...

Sounds like a great combo of ingredients.

Lo said...

Great flavor combo!
Don't you love the ease of couscous? It's one of my favorite go-to dishes for summer!

Abigail (aka Mamatouille) said...

Ivy -Thanks - It was a lovely combo! :)

Lo - I wish couscous was cheaper in Japan because I'd eat it a lot more often - I LOVE that stuff. :)