Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Chicken with Pecans, Asparagus and Couscous

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped onion
8-oz. fresh asparagus
2/3 cup Georgia pecan halves, chopped
1 (5.7-ounce) package couscous mix with herbed chicken flavor
1 1/4 cups boiling water

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts lengthwise to make 8 long, thick strips; sprinkle strips with thyme, paprika, and salt on all sides.
Heat a large non-stick skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil; swirl it to lightly coat pan.
Add chicken strips, cover and cook 5 minutes or until nicely browned.
Turn chicken over, reduce heat to medium and cook 5 – 7 minutes longer or until chicken is almost cooked through. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; then stir in carrot and onion.
Cook, covered, 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus; cut spears crosswise into 3/4-inch lengths.
Add asparagus to carrot mixture; cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring once.
Remove from heat and stir in pecans and couscous.
Arrange chicken on top. Combine boiling water and contents of seasoning packet; pour into skillet, cover tightly and let stand 8 minutes before serving.



Cast of Characters:
For full disclosure, you'll notice I don't have paprika (in the recipe but didn't use it) or the mushrooms (not in the recipe but sounded good so I added at the last minute) in the photo. 

Time for the thyme. 

After the chicken strips are browned on all sides, remove them to a plate while you cook the veggies.

The onion, carrot and mushrooms ready to go in the skillet. 

Threw the asparagus on the top. 

Added the pecans. 

And now the couscous. 

Then add the chicken back to the top. 

The end result is simply delicious.  And more good news, I only dirtied one skillet.  That's always a plus!

1 comment:

  1. I wish I could see a picture of this. It sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete