Chicken couscous salad
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
1 serve of vegetables per serve
Diet and Allergies:
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
1 serve of vegetables per serve
Diet and Allergies:
Ingredients
250g butternut pumpkin, peeled & cut into 1cm cubes
1 Spanish onion, cut into thin wedges
Olive oil spray
1 cup couscous, preferably wholemeal
1 cup boiling water
500g leftover cooked chicken or skinless BBQ chicken, chopped
1 cup coriander and/or mint, chopped
1 cup baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp pepitas
1 cup fresh cherries, deseeded & halved
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Step 2
Toss the pumpkin and onion in a small amount of olive oil and place on a lined baking tray.
Step 3
Roast for 20 minutes or until browned. Remove and cool.
Step 4
Pour the boiling water into a large bowl. Add the couscous, stir, cover and stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and cool.
Step 5
Combine the chicken, herbs, spinach, pepitas, cherries, lemon juice and extra olive oil in a large bowl.
Step 6
Add the pumpkin, onion and couscous and season. Toss gently to combine.
Ingredient swaps:
- You could replace the chicken with roasted chick peas for a vegetarian option.
- If you don’t have cherries, you can use dried cranberries.
Budget tips:
- Couscous is an inexpensive grain to keep in the pantry.
- Bottled lemon juice can be used to save time and money.
Reduce waste:
- This is a good recipe for using up leftover cooked chicken.
- Leftover mint can be ‘dried’ in the microwave and used to flavour cooked peas or yoghurt for a savoury dip.
Nutrition tips:
- You can make this recipe gluten free by using quinoa or brown rice instead of couscous.
- Pumpkin provides beta carotene. Beta carotene is important for normal vision.