Happy Whip It Up Wednesdays!
Today I’m so excited to share with you a very fragrant and exotic tasty dish that is sure to please your taste buds. This colorful, and flavourful, quick to make dish adds a wonderful aroma to your kitchen and is perfect for entertaining.
Here is what you need:
INGREDIENTS:
12 oz baked chicken breast, cubed
½ cup whole wheat couscous, dry
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
Sun-dried tomatoes, about 20 pieces, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 cup frozen green peas
1/3 cup plain goat yogurt
Spices:
1 bay leaf (whole)
½ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
I prefer to use skinless, bone-in chicken breast when baking and boneless for grilling or sautéing. Baking chicken with the bone-in will take a little longer but the extra flavour and juiciness is well worth the wait.
To help save prep time and clean-up time I also use the pre-chopped garlic and sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. Whatever brands you use just make sure there is no added sugar.
If you are not familiar with the spice Cardamom, it’s a spice that belongs to the same family as ginger and turmeric and is used mainly in Indian cooking as well as Middle Eastern cuisine. It has a strong, pungent flavor and aroma, with hints of lemon, mint and smoke; a little goes a long way! You can purchase whole cardamom seeds and ground them yourself, or if you are short on time and busy like me, opt for pre-ground.
So now that you have everything you need, here is how you create this tasty dish.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Sauté the garlic and onions in a nonstick pan (large enough to hold all the ingredients) coasted with olive oil spray for a couple of minutes until they start to brown.
Add chopped tomatoes. Stir until they become fluid, and then add the broth.
Bring to a boil and add spices.
Slowly stir in the yogurt, one tablespoon at a time.
Add chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and peas.
Then stir in the dry couscous, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 5minutes.
Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, cover it again and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Spoon up 1 cup on a dinner plate, serve with a side mixed green side salad , top with LYL balsamic and oil based dressing, top with a few toasted pine nuts and enjoy this delicious Guilt-Free Comfort Food.