SERVES 4
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
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.
|
½ |
cup all-purpose flour |
|
4 |
(6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded if necessary |
|
Salt and pepper |
|
|
½ |
cup olive oil |
|
1 |
red onion, halved and sliced thin |
|
1 |
fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced thin |
|
1 |
cup couscous |
|
3 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
⅛ |
teaspoon cayenne pepper |
|
1 |
cup orange juice (2 oranges) |
|
¾ |
cup low-sodium chicken broth |
|
¼ |
cup minced fresh cilantro |
1. Spread flour in shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge breasts in flour.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Lay chicken in skillet and cook until well browned on first side, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken over, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to platter and cover with aluminum foil.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil, onion, fennel, and ½ teaspoon salt to now-empty skillet and cook over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in couscous, garlic, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ¾ cup orange juice and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Gently fold in 2 tablespoons cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Meanwhile, whisk remaining 5 tablespoons oil, remaining ¼ cup orange juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro together in bowl. Drizzle orange juice mixture over chicken and couscous before serving.
VARIATION
SAUTÉED CHICKEN WITH CHICKPEAS AND APRICOT COUSCOUS
Omit fennel and cayenne. Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to skillet with onion. Add 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed chickpeas and ¾ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots to skillet with orange juice in step 3.