Quick Chicken & Apricot Couscous
Clock Image
Total: 20 mins
This one-pot couscous is packed with hunks of organic chicken breast and sweet dried apricots, stirred with tender spinach leaves and flavoured with a dash of ras al hanut for a kick of North African spice.
This recipe is a:
See this week's box.
Recipe Box Recipe Main Image
563 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 250g chicken breast mini fillets
  • 1 onion
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 50g dried apricots
  • 2 tsp ras al hanut
  • 150g wholewheat couscous
  • 100g baby leaf spinach
From your kitchen
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 300ml boiling water
You'll need
  • Medium pan with lid
  • Measuring jug
  • Baking tray (optional)
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Fill your kettle and boil it. Chop the chicken breast mini fillets into bite-sized chunks. Warm a medium pan on a medium heat for 1 min, then add ½ tbsp olive oil and the chicken. Fry for 4-5 mins, turning once or twice, till the chicken is browned all over.

  • 2.

    While the chicken fries, peel and finely chop the onion. When the chicken has browned, add another ½ tbsp olive oil to the pan along with the onion (keep the chicken in the pan). Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Fry, stirring often, for 5 mins till the onion looks glossy.

  • 3.

    Roughly chop the dried apricots. Grate the zest from the lemon. Peel and grate or crush the garlic.

  • 4.

    Tip the dried apricots into the pan. Add the lemon zest, garlic and 2 tsp ras al hanut. Cook, stirring, for 1 min, then tip in the couscous and stir.

  • 5.

    Pour in 300ml boiling water from the kettle. Stir to mix, bring to the boil and then pop on a lid (or use a baking tray if you don’t have a lid) and turn the heat off. Set the pan aside for 5-6 mins till the couscous has absorbed the water and is tender.

  • 6.

    Fork the baby leaf spinach into the pan to just wilt it. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon. Taste and add a pinch more salt or pepper or a squeeze more lemon juice if you think it needs it. Divide the chicken and apricot couscous between 2 warm plates and serve with the remaining lemon, sliced into wedges for squeezing.

This recipe is from