Chicken and vegetable couscous
Chicken simmered with carrot, turnip, courgette and chickpeas in a broth spiced with turmeric, ginger, cumin and cinnamon, served over fluffy couscous. It is Melilla's signature dish, where it is also made with lamb, and an increasingly common dinner all over Spain. If you have ras el hanout, use it instead of the spices.
- 1 h 03Time
- 35 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 49 gprotein per portion
- 880kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 8Chicken legs
- to tasteSalt
- to tasteBlack pepper
- 3 tbspOlive oil
- 2Yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2Tomatoes, grated
- 1 tspTurmeric
- 1 tspGinger, grated
- 1 tspCumin
- 3 mlCinnamon
- ≈ 1.2 lWater
- 3Carrots
- 1Turnip
- 2Courgettes
- 250 gChickpeas, 1 tin, drained
- 300 gCouscous
- 1 tbspButter
Method
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the chicken over a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, until coloured all over.
- Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the grated tomato, turmeric, ginger, cumin and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut into batons, peel the turnip and cut into wedges, and cut the courgettes into large chunks.
- Add the carrots and turnip to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the courgettes and chickpeas and simmer for 10 more minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. Season to taste.
- Meanwhile, put the couscous in a large bowl with the butter and a pinch of salt. Pour over about 400 ml of the boiling broth from the pot, cover and leave for 5 minutes, then fluff up with a fork.
- Serve the couscous in shallow bowls topped with the chicken, vegetables and chickpeas, with the rest of the broth on the side to spoon over.
