Sautéed chicken with harissa and couscous
This recipe, by chef Jean Georges Vongerichten, is one of my favorite chicken recipes because it is full of flavor, exotic, easy to cook, and reminds one of my favorite trips - Tunisia. To be honest, any recipe that uses cumin and harissa is half way through to be part of my favorites list.
If you happen to be wondering what in Epicurus name is harissa allow me to tell you. Harissa is a hot, delicious North African spice paste made of piri-piri, red chili pepper, and garlic. You can find it in any Middle Eastern markets and it is, generally, sold in cans. It keeps almost forever in your fridge. I like to transfer the paste into a plastic container with lid after opening the can just to prevent that the natural oxidation of the metal affects the flavor of the harissa. Personally, I find it really hot to eat by itself. Actually, one of the funniest episodes of our trip to Tunisia was exactly our first experience with harissa. It looked so good! We took a piece of bread, spread a generous layer of harissa on it and gave a bite. Before we knew we were drinking water like camels, crying like babies and laughing uncontrollably to the situation. The waiter came to us, joining the amusement, and told us that the best way to have harissa on the bread is mix it with olive oil first and, then, eat it. In fact, the heat goes down remarkably when the olive oil is added and it becomes a really pleasant paste to cover your bread with. Like everything, you need to try it in order to know if it is too hot for you on its natural form.
So here is the recipe, enough to serve four.
Cut one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into medium dices. Toss the chicken with 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 a teaspoon of cardamom, salt and pepper to taste, and let it sit while preparing the couscous.
Bring 1.5 cups of chicken stock to a boil. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of couscous, 1/4 cup of raisins, 2 tablespoons of harissa, 1/3 of a cup of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the boiling stock over the couscous, stir, and seal the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside for, at least, 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash, trime and cut into medium thin slices 8 oz of zucchini. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet and turn the heat to high. When the oil is hot (but not smoky), add the chicken and cook until begins to brown (about 2 minutes). Add the zucchini and toss, keeping the heat high, until it begins to brown. Stir in 1 cup of cooked chickpeas (you can used the canned type. If so, rinse them well before adding it to the other ingredients. That is a golden rule for all dishes, by the way), 1 tablespoon of harissa, 1/2 a cup of chicken stock and one large tomato peeled, seeded and diced. Bring to the boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 2 minutes. The mixture should be brothy. Taste and correct seasoning for salt, pepper and/or harissa if necessary.
Uncover the couscous and, with a fork, break the grains lose to get a bit of a fluffy texture. Serve the chicken on top of the couscous, garnished with fresh chopped mint.
The explosion of flavor this dish presents you with is amazing! The sweetness of the raisins goes beautifully with the spiciness of the dish and the cardamom brings the chicken to a completely different level. The only think I will try to adjust to my taste it is the amount of olive oil in the couscous. It is a little bit too much for me. I like my couscous really fluffy and this one gets a bit sticky. Nevertheless, it is an amazing meal. You don't know what you are missing if you skip this one.
Happy cooking and bon appetit!!!!!
If you happen to be wondering what in Epicurus name is harissa allow me to tell you. Harissa is a hot, delicious North African spice paste made of piri-piri, red chili pepper, and garlic. You can find it in any Middle Eastern markets and it is, generally, sold in cans. It keeps almost forever in your fridge. I like to transfer the paste into a plastic container with lid after opening the can just to prevent that the natural oxidation of the metal affects the flavor of the harissa. Personally, I find it really hot to eat by itself. Actually, one of the funniest episodes of our trip to Tunisia was exactly our first experience with harissa. It looked so good! We took a piece of bread, spread a generous layer of harissa on it and gave a bite. Before we knew we were drinking water like camels, crying like babies and laughing uncontrollably to the situation. The waiter came to us, joining the amusement, and told us that the best way to have harissa on the bread is mix it with olive oil first and, then, eat it. In fact, the heat goes down remarkably when the olive oil is added and it becomes a really pleasant paste to cover your bread with. Like everything, you need to try it in order to know if it is too hot for you on its natural form.
So here is the recipe, enough to serve four.
Cut one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into medium dices. Toss the chicken with 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 a teaspoon of cardamom, salt and pepper to taste, and let it sit while preparing the couscous.
Bring 1.5 cups of chicken stock to a boil. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of couscous, 1/4 cup of raisins, 2 tablespoons of harissa, 1/3 of a cup of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the boiling stock over the couscous, stir, and seal the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside for, at least, 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash, trime and cut into medium thin slices 8 oz of zucchini. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet and turn the heat to high. When the oil is hot (but not smoky), add the chicken and cook until begins to brown (about 2 minutes). Add the zucchini and toss, keeping the heat high, until it begins to brown. Stir in 1 cup of cooked chickpeas (you can used the canned type. If so, rinse them well before adding it to the other ingredients. That is a golden rule for all dishes, by the way), 1 tablespoon of harissa, 1/2 a cup of chicken stock and one large tomato peeled, seeded and diced. Bring to the boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 2 minutes. The mixture should be brothy. Taste and correct seasoning for salt, pepper and/or harissa if necessary.
Uncover the couscous and, with a fork, break the grains lose to get a bit of a fluffy texture. Serve the chicken on top of the couscous, garnished with fresh chopped mint.
The explosion of flavor this dish presents you with is amazing! The sweetness of the raisins goes beautifully with the spiciness of the dish and the cardamom brings the chicken to a completely different level. The only think I will try to adjust to my taste it is the amount of olive oil in the couscous. It is a little bit too much for me. I like my couscous really fluffy and this one gets a bit sticky. Nevertheless, it is an amazing meal. You don't know what you are missing if you skip this one.
Happy cooking and bon appetit!!!!!
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