Name: Chicken and Fruit Couscous Salad
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 cooked chicken thighs ((Or breasts, or rotisserie chicken meat)); 2 cups Israeli couscous; 1 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 1/2 cups water; 1/2 chicken bouillon cube; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup mixed berries (I used frozen, however if you have fresh berries, great!); 1 grapefruit, peeled with as much white pith removed as possible; 1 5.3oz plain greet yogurt; 1/8 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp sugar; the juice of 1/4 of a lemon ((about 2 tbsp))

My fiance and I LOVE couscous. I think its the texture of the toasted pasta shaped like round rice grains. Its like pasta caviar! And couscous absorbs all of the flavors you cook it in. These tiny ptitim are cooked until light and flavorful, and are then tossed with chicken, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and grapefruit. And the vanilla lemon yogurt sauce strikes the perfect balance of a meal that is both light and satisfying. Who’s ready to pack this chicken and fruit couscous salad in their picnic basket?!

What is couscous?

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…it might be couscous. Couscous looks and acts like a whole grain, but is actually a type of pasta that’s made from coarsely ground and toasted wheat flour. It may not be as nutritious as some of the powerhouse whole grains that it resembles, but it does have some health benefits. 1 cup of couscous contains 75% of your daily value of selenium, an antioxidant that is important for a healthy thyroid and immune function. And it does provide you with a small dose of fiber. Moroccan couscous is much smaller and absorbs the liquid you toss it into in about 5 minutes, where as Israeli couscous is larger and takes longer to cook. So if you have a busy life and don’t have a lot of time on your hands, Moroccan couscous is about as quick and easy as it gets! And whatever liquid you use to cook it in, the couscous will selfishly absorb all of it, leaving you with light and fluffy goodness. This recipe uses Israeli couscous, but if you want to try Moroccan, go for it!

Tips for using frozen fruit:

Frozen fruit can be kind of hard to cook with, so I wanted to include it in this recipe for those of you who have a couple bags laying around in the freezer. But if you have fresh fruit, this is obviously ideal. The thawing of the frozen fruit is the trickiest part. You can try it 3 different ways:

Place it in a Ziploc bag and place that bag in warm water. This makes the fruit bleed a lot, which I am not a fan of.
Take it out of the freezer and let it thaw on its own: this takes a very long time, and once again, it bleeds a lot.
Cook it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The fruit does bleed, however due to the heat source, it helps to dry out the fruit after it bleeds. This is my favorite option (and it’s the quickest!).

Chicken and Fruit Couscous Salad

This light and fruity salad is a great picnic dish, and can be served as a lunch or light dinner.

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Cook Time 35 mins

Course Dinner, lunch

Cuisine American, Israeli, moroccan

Servings 4

Ingredients

4 cooked chicken thighs (Or breasts, or rotisserie chicken meat)
2 cups Israeli couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 chicken bouillon cube
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup mixed berries (I used frozen, however if you have fresh berries, great!)
1 grapefruit, peeled with as much white pith removed as possible

Ingredients for yogurt sauce

1 5.3oz plain greet yogurt
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar
the juice of 1/4 of a lemon (about 2 tbsp)

Instructions

Instructions for summer couscous and chicken salad

If using frozen fruit, preheat the oven to 350.
Cook the couscous: in a large pot, heat water and chicken broth until boiling. Add the chicken bouillon cube and the couscous and stir. Season with pepper. Place a lid on the couscous and continue to simmer until all of the liquid is fully absorbed, about 35 minutes.
While the couscous is cooking, prepare the yogurt sauce. Combine yogurt, vanilla extract, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and stir until combined. Place in the fridge until use.
Now prepare your fruit: If you are using fresh fruit, clean it and remove any stems/pith. If you are using frozen fruit, place it on parchment paper and heat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, turning once.
When the couscous is done, pour it into a large bowl and break up any clumps. Add your sliced cooked chicken thighs to the bowl and your fruit. Toss to combine and serve with a dollop of yogurt sauce.

Notes

Tips:

Frozen fruit can be kind of hard to cook with, so I wanted to include it in this recipe for those of you who have a couple bags laying around in the freezer. However, if you have fresh fruit this is obviously ideal. The thawing of the frozen fruit is the trickiest part. Here are 3 ways you can do it:

Place it in a Ziploc bag and place that bag in warm water. This makes the fruit bleed a lot, which I am not a fan of.
Take it out of the freezer and let it thaw on its own: this takes a very long time, and once again, it bleeds a lot.
Cook it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The fruit does bleed, however due to the heat source, it helps to dry out the fruit after it bleeds. This is my favorite option (and it’s the quickest!).

Keyword asian chicken, fruit, fruit salad, fruity, greek yogurt, lemon, lemon yogurt sauce, light, salad, tasty, yogurt, yogurt sauce

Did you like my ‘Chicken and Fruit Couscous Salad‘ recipe? If so, go check out my ‘Crispy Instant Pot Wannamango Chicken‘ recipe!