Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Orange Chicken with Couscous

I havn't put up a new recipe for ages. Forgive me.


Couscous is basically tiny pasta, popular in north African cuisine. If you don't have it you can easily sub brown rice, just make sure you cook it before adding it to the broth.

Orange Chicken with Couscous

Marinade for chicken:
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

Couscous:
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1 scallion or 1/4 cup onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup golden or dark raisins (optional)


In a large bowl, combine the OJ, honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Put this into a bag and marinade the chicken in it for 20-30 minutes at room temp or up to 2 hours in the fridge. You will be adding this chicken to skewers so if you are using wooden ones, now is a good time to start soaking them in water.

Prepare the couscous in a medium bowl by adding the broth, OJ, scallion, oil, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Bring this to a boil and stir in the couscous and optional raisins. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and set it aside for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and you are done.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. You will broil these for 2 minutes, then baste it with the remaining marinade. Broil 2 minutes longer or until the chicken is fully cooked. For a thicker baste, after removing the chicken from the bag bring the marinade to a boil and reduce it to your desired consistency.

Spoon the couscous onto a plate and top with the chicken after removing it from the skewers.