This Chicken Couscous is delicious, healthy, and a one skillet dinner. It's filled with Mediterranean flavors and great to meal prep ahead for the week or for a quick family dinner. The recipe has easy clean up and is ready in under 30 minutes!
This One Pan Chicken Dinner is a go to on busy weeknights! It's quick and easy with minimal prep work and who doesn't love a 30 minute-one skillet meal?
I specifically love this recipe for Spring and Summer because it's light from the fluffy Moroccan couscous, grilled chicken and lots of lemon flavor.
For more grilled chicken recipes, check out this Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad, Chicken Pesto Sandwich, and Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Chicken Dinner:
- Easy Clean Up. One pan meals mean less mess and less dishes to do after cooking.
- Quick. This recipe is ready in under 30 minutes! Moroccan couscous is awesome because it's a tiny grain that's ready in minutes.
- Easy. Simple ingredients with step by step instructions make this Chicken Couscous hard to mess up.
- Healthy. This meal is high in protein from the chicken and the couscous brings in vitamins, specifically selenium, which is great for your immune system.
Big on Couscous Recipes? Try this Mushroom Couscous and Couscous Stuffed Peppers too!
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast: Sliced into thinner cutlets for quicker cook time and seasoned with a spice blend of garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper for taste.
Moroccan Couscous: A small grain that cooks super quick. Couscous expands in the stomach, keeping you full longer, which is great for avoiding high amounts of snacking throughout the day. It's also high in selenium, which helps decrease inflammation and is good for thyroid health and the immune system.
Chicken Stock: Cooks the couscous and adds much more flavor to the dish versus water. I suggest using stock versus broth for a bolder flavor. I love the Kitchen Basics brand.
Onion, Garlic & Lemon: Adds flavor and the lemon brings a subtle citrus flavor to the dish.
Feta Cheese and Parsley: Adds a Mediterranean flair, along with color to make this meal much more appealing to eat. The crumbled feta adds a touch of saltiness, which I love. For the best taste, use fresh flat leaf parsley.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
If you don't want to cook the chicken yourself, grab a warm rotisserie chicken and use that instead.
Want more veggies? Add in roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes.
Pair this Chicken Couscous with this Mediterranean Chopped Salad or Mediterranean Tomato Cucumber Salad for a really filling meal!
Step by Step Instructions for How to Make Chicken Couscous:
Step 1: In a small bowl, combine ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano. Slice the width of the chicken breasts in half, to create 4 cutlets total. Pat dry with paper towels and season both sides with spice mixture.
Step 2: Heat a large skillet to medium low heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Rotate pan to cover bottom in oil. Once hot, add in the chicken breast and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Once the chicken is fully cooked, transfer to a plate and cover with foil. If the pan is super burnt on the bottom, allow it to cool and carefully clean it. If it's just a golden brown, it doesn't need to be cleaned, but black bits will be bitter.
Step 3: Continue heat at medium low or reheat to medium low (if you needed to clean the pan). Add in butter until melted. Toss in the onions, and stir in ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are softened.
Step 4: Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds. Pour in chicken stock and increase the heat to medium until the edges are boiling. Sprinkle in couscous and stir. Turn heat off and cover for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Remove lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Squeeze in lemon juice and stir.
Step 6: Top with fresh parsley, feta cheese and lemon wedges. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- The chicken may require more or less cooking depending on the size, pan, heat, etc. The best way to know if the chicken is cooked is by poking the meat in the thickest portion with an internal instant read thermometer. The chicken should read 165 degrees before removing from the pan.
- Make sure the lid fits tight over the pan or the couscous won't cook correctly. You also want to make sure the chicken stock has come to a boil before adding in the couscous.
For more Mediterranean Inspired Recipes, try these Greek Chicken Tzatziki Wraps, Mediterranean Yellow Rice and Chicken Kofta.
Recipe FAQs:
No! Not all couscous is created equally. They're all delicious, but they cook at different times. Moroccan couscous is required for this recipe because it cooks really quickly. Pearl couscous will need much more time and the measurements may be different as well.
Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is a great recipe to prep ahead for healthy lunches during the week.
I like to wrap individual servings in foil and place on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. This seems to help the chicken from drying out.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Chicken Couscous Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Chicken Couscous (One Skillet Dinner)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Chicken Couscous is delicious, healthy, and a one skillet dinner. The recipe has easy clean up and is ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, trimmed and patted dry
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced small
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup Moroccan couscous
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced
- optional: lemon wedges
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano. Slice the width of the chicken breasts in half, to create 4 cutlets total. Pat dry with paper towels and season both sides with spice mixture.
- Heat a large skillet to medium low heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Rotate pan to cover bottom in oil. Once hot, add in the chicken breast and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Once the chicken is fully cooked, transfer to a plate and cover with foil. If the pan is super burnt on the bottom, allow it to cool and carefully clean it. If it's just a golden brown, it doesn't need to be cleaned, but black bits will be bitter.
- Continue heat at medium low or reheat to medium low (if you needed to clean the pan). Add in butter until melted. Toss in the onions, and stir in ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are softened.
- Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds. Pour in chicken stock and increase the heat to medium until the edges are boiling. Sprinkle in couscous and stir. Turn heat off and cover for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Squeeze in lemon juice and stir.
- Top with fresh parsley, feta cheese and lemon wedges. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The chicken may require more or less cooking depending on the size, pan, heat, etc. The best way to know if the chicken is cooked is by poking the meat in the thickest portion with an internal instant read thermometer. The chicken should read 165 degrees before removing from the pan.
- Make sure the lid fits tight over the pan or the couscous won't cook correctly. You also want to make sure the chicken stock has come to a boil before adding in the couscous.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Josie says
Such an easy dinner and I love how light it is!
Tara Smithson says
Thank you! Me too!