Chicken Israeli Couscous with Zucchini

Light chicken Israeli couscous with zucchini. A risotto-like dish with tender chicken breast, sweet peas, and crunchy zucchini, an easy and delightful summer dish.

Do you want to try a different kind of food? How about a delightful chicken Israeli couscous with zucchini and sweet peas? This dish is delicious, healthy and made in no-time at all, you will probably be finished in less than 30 minutes.

I bought this bag of Israeli couscous a long time ago, cannot even remember when exactly. I put it in the pantry and kind of forgot about it, unfortunately. Recently I thoroughly cleaned and organized my pantry, threw away some forgotten and expired things (I hate when that happens), and placed some “soon to expire” things on the most reachable shelf, so that I don’t forget them again.

Among several kinds of lentils and beans (we had lots of bean stews, lentil soups, hummus lately), there was this rather large bag of Israeli couscous.

What is Israeli couscous?

Also known as giant couscous or pearl couscous, it is pasta in form of little balls, apparently developed in Israel in the 1950s when rice was scarce.

It is made of wheat, which is shaped into balls and then toasted. Due to its size, it remains quite chewy even after cooking and I have to say, that is what I like most about it.

It is not gluten free but otherwise vegan, full of fibers and has a low glycemic index, so a quite healthy food I would say.

You can use it like you would use pasta or rice or regular couscous, it is versatile, can be eaten as a side dish, in salads with lots of veggies (tried that too with roasted vegetables, it was delicious) or in one-pot dishes like this one.

If you don’t know it yet (most of you probably do, I think I am quite late to discover it), give it a try, I think you would like it!

More light dishes with chicken:

Romanian Pea and Chicken Stew

Fusili with Chicken and Feta

Baked BBQ Chicken Breast

Russian Chicken Fritters

Baked Panko Chicken Breast

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Chicken Israeli Couscous with Zucchini

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Light chicken Israeli couscous with zucchini. A risotto-like dish with tender chicken breast, sweet peas, and crunchy zucchini, an easy and delightful summer dish.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium zucchini
• 280 g/ 10 oz/ 2 cups Israeli couscous (giant or pearl couscous)
• 1 liter/ 34 fl.oz/ generous 4 cups chicken stock
• 450 g/ 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 organic lemon
• 150 g/ 1 cup frozen peas
• 50 g/ ½ cup Parmesan, freshly grated + some extra to serve
• fine sea salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Half the zucchini lengthwise and chop the halves into pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Fry the zucchini until golden but still crunchy, remove from the skillet and set aside. While the zucchini cooks, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. Heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet. Add the Israeli couscous and toast the grains, stirring, for one or two minutes, until lightly browned. Add the chicken stock, chicken pieces, lemon zest and juice, and frozen peas. Bring to a simmer and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 – 13 minutes, until the couscous and the chicken are cooked through.
3. Carefully stir in the zucchini and heat everything for another 2-3 minutes. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and stir in the Parmesan. Serve immediately with more grated Parmesan and a green, crunchy salad with radishes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 562Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 813mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 55g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.