Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Chicken with Parmesan Couscous, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes
Alright, so I feel the need to ‘fess up to something. I have no kids, no pets, no yard/garden, a very short commute, and yet, I always feel as if I have NO TIME! (Let me take a second to mention I do have a full-time job, working at least 40 hours a week.) How is it possible I can barely find time and energy? Whatever the reason, that’s where I am. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have noticed my frequency of posts is down to 1 a week, where I used to post 2-3. Part of that is finding time & energy to blog, and part of that is finding time & energy to actually COOK! Sometimes I find myself in a mad dash to cook dinner, and I have no idea what to fix.
More than once Near East Couscous saved me. You see a LONG time ago (think April 1st), a representative from Near East contacted me about receiving a sample of their products. I immediately said yes, because it’s a line I already purchase. After a short time I received their Parmesan flavor. I was very excited about this, as I hadn’t tried any of their flavors before, just the basic couscous. Well… life got busy, and the two boxes sat in my cupboard. One night I had about 20 minutes to throw dinner on the table and I used one of the boxes as a side dish to some grilled chicken and roasted veggies. Sadly, while that meal was VERY tasty, I didn’t feel it incorporated the couscous in any way that was blogworthy to share. So, more time passed.
Then, a night last week, I found myself with a the average amount of time to get dinner on the table, but no idea what to prepare for dinner. I needed to use the two chicken breasts I had set in the fridge to thaw that morning. I suddenly remembered the couscous, and thought “By-golly, I’m finally going to make something good with this!” (PS. I am from Kentucky, where people say things like “By-golly”, don’t judge.) After I quick browsing of their site, I settled on a recipe. I even had time to make it from downtown Nashville, out to the grocery in Green Hills, back to my apartment (located about halfway in between the two), and had dinner DONE, all between the hours of 6pm-7:20pm. I KID YOU NOT! (I know to most of yall this won’t make sense, but to Nashvillians, that’s quite a feat!)
Now, you probably want to know how this tastes? Well, rest assured it tastes great!! I used fresh broccoli, so it stayed crisp and bright. The chicken cooked up fast because it was cut into pieces. And I already knew the couscous cooks VERY fast. The combination of flavors balanced, and seemed rich and light at the same time. Best of all, we had plenty of leftovers, so I could enjoy it more than once! Because of the balance of protein in the chicken, carbs in the couscous, and broccoli with lots of flavor & fiber, this serving filled me up. This is something I know we’ll enjoy again. Especially when I’m in a time crunch!
Chicken with Parmesan Couscous, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes
adapted from Near East recipes
yields: 4 servingsIngredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups fresh broccoli flowerets, (you can sub frozen, just be sure to thaw)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
2 Tablespoons dry white wine or water
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 package (5.9oz) Near East Parmesan Couscous Mix
1/4 cup (2oz) feta cheese, crumbledDirections:
In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and chicken, cook until chicken begins to brown. Add broccoli, cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
Stir in water, sundried tomatoes, wine, red pepper flakes, and content of Spice Sack; bring to a boil.
Stir in couscous; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
Fluff couscous lightly with a fork. Stir in cheese, serve immediately.
(In case I wasn’t clear enough in my post, I was provided the couscous free of charge by the Near East company. I accepted it to review and offer my honest opinion. I was not paid to write this post. I ONLY post about products I can honestly recommend.)
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I totally get the lack of time. I also have no kids, no pets, no commute and get to the gym 2x a week at best, yet I feel like I’m always busy! Love the suggestion for a quick, tasty dinner.
I’ll trade you this for a cupcake!
Looks delicious girl!
Oh Erin, I know what you mean! How am I ever going to have kids??? Never enough hours in the day….
This looks great, will have to try it very soon. R’s favorite veg is broccoli, and we always have all of these ingredients in the house. Have you tried the Near East Toasted Pine Nut couscous? It’s my favorite
Erin replied: — July 15th, 2010 @ 8:00 am
Ooooh! Pine Nuts?! Yum! I’ll have to try it. This recipe originally called for topping it with toasted pine nuts, but I didn’t have any on hand, and forgot to get them in my mad dash to TJ’s.
Erin- this looks like a perfect summer patio meal. Add a glass of wine and a nice cool breeze. Ah…
You know somehow after I had kids I found this energy that has taught me how to do it all in such little time. But don’t get me wrong- I am tired a lot of the time.
Erin replied: — July 15th, 2010 @ 9:06 am
I actually DID pair this with a glass of wine! Sadly I have no patio.
Thanks for the tip, I do hope when the day comes that God gives me a baby, he gives me energy too!!
yum what a great dish!! I would add some slivered almonds to it for some crunch too–might have to make this soon!
I totally know what you mean about not having time or energy…hence the reason my blog has suffered as it has. But this meal looks great, and definitely sounds like something I would do in a pinch.
Do you have the nutrition facts for this?
Erin replied: — July 19th, 2010 @ 7:55 pm
Sort of… The original recipe included 2 Tbsp pine nuts, which I excluded. The original nutritional info is : Calories: 450; Calories from Fat: 207; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 40mg; Sodium: 535mg; Total Carbohydrate: 40g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Protein: 24g; Vitamin A: 49%l Vitamin C: 113%; Calcium: 14%; Iron: 14%
As I blogged the recipe, without the pine nuts, it would have slightly less calories & fat.
I hope that helps!
Hehe, it’s a matter of perspective. I used to think I didn’t have time and energy…until I had a baby! Now I wonder how in the world I ever thought I was busy before. However, time or not, this looks delicious! Bonus that it’s quick to fix too!