Chicken and Couscous Curry Salad

Hello!

Sometimes having a food blog can be tricky. We just had the long weekend, and I have not been to the grocery store to re-stock the crisper. I have zero time to get there today either. Yet I am now seriously craving a huge plate of chicken and couscous curry salad!

The struggle is real.

CurriedCouscous_1_FoodMack.
The colours of this salad will make your eyeballs smile!

Hands down, if I had to list off your  favorite foods, Lochlan, couscous would be in the top five. You love it any way and any time. You like the small traditional couscous and you like the pearl couscous. You like it plain, fancy, mixed into other things or all by itself. …you will eat them in a box, with a fox, in a house and with a mouse – anywhere, anytime!

This curried couscous salad is one of your favorite ways to eat it.

Whenever there are leftovers in the fridge, I will find you just standing in front of it with the door open, fork in hand, eating it straight out of the storage container.

It is just so good.

CurriedCouscous_5

I love this salad because it is the best salad to bring to potlucks and picnics. It can be served warm or cold – either way it tastes great (but leave the chicken out if you are taking it someplace hot).

This salad packs up and travels beautifully for picnics! (Or supper clubs, which is what I packed this up for)
This salad packs up and travels beautifully for picnics! Or you can take it to the Supper Club you are part of in a fun container! Fun and tasty!

If you leave out the chicken and the spinach, this makes a perfect side dish.

Just look how beautiful and colourful the ingredients are! Take a picture of them and use it for your "wall paper" on your phone.
Just look how beautiful and colourful the ingredients are! Take a picture of them and use it for your background on your phone. It will make you smile and crave curried couscous all the time.   …on second thought you’d better not use it for your phone wallpaper.

 

Mmmmm Boy-O! You could be eating good tonight if you make this salad!

Chicken and Couscous Curry Salad

Perfect picnic, traveling, or summer evening meal. Full of colorful vegetables, toasted pearl couscous, and tender chicken bites. The savory and earthy-tasting curry vinaigrette dressing makes for a unique and fresh-tasting salad.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish, Party food, Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Canadian
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

Couscous

  • 1 cup pearl couscous you can use normal couscous but the pearl is better for this
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cube chicken bouillon
  • 1 tsp fresh black pepper

Salad

  • 6 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in fourths
  • 1/2 cup cucumber mini diced
  • 1/2 cup carrots mini diced
  • 3 stalks celery mini diced
  • 2 whole green onions (white and green parts) sliced thin
  • 1 whole jalapeño pepper very finely minced

Curry Vinaigrette

  • 2 lemons lemon. ZEST and JUICE use large lemons
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tsp lemongrass In the produce section in a squeeze tube. I use Gourmet Garden.
  • 1 tbsp curry powder I use Jamaican curry, but a yellow Indian curry would work too.
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Chicken

  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp butter

Instructions
 

Chicken

  • Slice chicken into small bite-size cubes. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder and curry powder on the chicken cubes. Mix well and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
  • Heat a cast iron frying pan, then add olive oil and the butter. Once the butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the chicken cubes. Sauté until the chicken is done. Take off heat and set aside.

Couscous

  • Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan. Heat up the oil.
  • Add the pearl couscous to the oil and stir constantly. You are toasting the couscous, which will give it a deep nutty flavor. Make sure you keep a close eye on this as the couscous could burn.
  • Add the chicken broth and the chicken bouillon envelope or cube.
  • Bring it to a grumpy boil. Keep it boiling for 4 - 5 minutes. Once most of the chicken broth has been absorbed, remove from heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.
  • Remove lid and fluff couscous with a fork.

Curry vinaigrette

  • Juice and zest the two lemons. If they are in season my favorite lemons to use in this vinaigrette are Meyer lemons. They add a really bright sweet flavor. However, any type of lemon will taste yummy.
  • Add the honey and all of the spices. Whisk everything together.
  • Add the olive oil slowly, whisking the whole time. Taste and season.

Salad

  • Prep all the vegetables. They should be not much bigger then the couscous (if you are using pearl couscous). Put all the veggies in a bowl EXCEPT the spinach... (keep the spinach separate).
  • In a large bowl mix the fluffed couscous, chicken and veggies.
  • Add the curry vinaigrette and mix well.
  • To serve, pile fresh spinach in the middle of the plate and top with a big scoop of couscous.

9 Comments

  1. Hi Cynthia! Found your post via Blogging Boost FB group..

    And my goodness…this chicken & couscous curry salad looks beautiful!

    I’ve never tried pearl couscous before, but it’s making my mouth water…plus all those flavours!!

    Thanks for sharing!!

    Love from DC
    Felicia

    • Welcome Felicia!
      I love the Blogging Boost FB Group! I have found so many great blogs that I never would have found without it!!

      Pearl Couscous is also call Israeli Couscous – it is very similar to regular couscous. They are just larger and have more of a ‘chew’. You can buy it in most grocery store or (how we buy it) in a large bag at Costco. It is great to have on hand for a fast side.

      Love from GA!

  2. Despite the fact that apparently fall just hit here and it’s raining and damp and dreary, I have a sudden desire to spoon out mouthfuls of this dish straight from the fridge. Job well done!

    • There is some in our fridge right now! You can spoon fence with my son and help yourself!!

  3. Marjorie Sanford

    Mmmmm this looks so good. I definitely could become a fan of this beauty. The color really is beautiful.

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