Serves 2 • Cooking Time 1 to 2 hours on Low • Slow Cooker Size 4 to 7 Quarts
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a simple, healthy chicken dinner for two with fresh Italian flavors, we combined bone-in chicken breasts with pesto, fennel, and fresh cherry tomatoes. Just 2 tablespoons of prepared basil pesto gave us plenty of bright flavor without adding a lot of fat and kept the tops of the breasts moist as they gently simmered in a simple braising liquid of chicken broth, softened fennel, and garlic. Once the chicken was cooked, we used the flavorful braising liquid, enriched with the chicken’s juices and the nutty fennel, to cook couscous for a quick and easy side dish. After 10 minutes, we stirred quartered cherry tomatoes and chopped basil into the couscous before serving for a pop of freshness. 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. Check the chicken’s temperature after 1 hour of cooking and continue to monitor until it registers 160 degrees. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
1 |
small fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced thin |
1 |
teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil |
1 |
garlic clove, minced |
½ |
cup chicken broth, plus extra as needed |
2 |
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, skin removed, trimmed of all visible fat |
2 |
tablespoons prepared basil pesto |
½ |
cup couscous |
1 |
tablespoon lemon juice |
1 |
tablespoon water |
4 |
ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered |
1 |
tablespoon chopped fresh basil |
Salt and pepper |
1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Microwave fennel, oil, and garlic in bowl, stirring occasionally, until fennel is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon pesto and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 1 to 2 hours on low.
2. Transfer chicken to plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Strain cooking liquid into liquid measuring cup, reserving solids. Reserve ½ cup strained cooking liquid and discard remaining liquid; or add extra hot broth as needed to measure ½ cup. Stir reserved liquid, reserved solids, and couscous into now-empty slow cooker, cover, and cook on high until couscous is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, water, and remaining 1 tablespoon pesto together in small bowl. Add tomatoes and basil to cooked couscous and fluff with fork to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with couscous and pesto sauce.
Per serving:
Cal 550
Fat 16g
Sat Fat 3.5g
Chol 155mg
Carb 42g
Protein 56g
Fiber 5g
Sodium 310mg