Pesto Chicken with Fennel and Tomato Couscous
Serves 4
Cooking Time 3 to 4 hours on Low
Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a simple braised chicken dinner with fresh Italian flavors, we combined easy
boneless chicken breasts with fennel and bright cherry tomatoes. Store-bought chicken
broth flavored with garlic, salt, and pepper made a simple braising liquid that seasoned
the chicken as it simmered and helped it to cook gently and evenly. Once the chicken
was cooked, we used the flavorful braising liquid, enriched with the chicken’s juices,
to cook couscous for a quick and easy side dish. Finally, we stirred a little reserved
braising liquid into store-bought pesto to make a fresh, herbal sauce. Be sure to
use regular (or fine-grain) couscous; large-grain couscous, often labeled “Israeli-style,”
takes much longer to cook and won’t work in this recipe. Click here for more information on how to prep fennel. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
|
1 |
fennel bulb, cored and sliced thin |
|
1 |
tablespoon olive oil |
|
2 |
teaspoons minced garlic |
|
½ |
cup chicken broth |
|
|
Salt and pepper |
|
4 |
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed |
|
8 |
ounces cherry tomatoes, halved |
|
1 |
cup couscous |
|
½ |
cup prepared basil pesto |
1. Microwave fennel, oil, and garlic in bowl, stirring occasionally, until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Sprinkle tomatoes over chicken, cover, and cook until chicken is tender, 3 to 4 hours on low.
2. Transfer chicken to serving dish, remove skin, and tent with aluminum foil. Strain braising liquid into fat separator and let sit for 5 minutes; reserve strained vegetables and 1½ cups defatted liquid. Return 1 cup defatted liquid and vegetables to now-empty slow cooker. Stir in couscous, cover, and cook on high until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Combine remaining ½ cup reserved liquid and pesto in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with couscous.