Spicy and Sweet Chicken and Couscous Pot with Minty Cilantro Sauce Exotic, easy, and healthy, too, this simple dish is just delish.

4 SERVINGS.

2.

cups cups chicken stock chicken stock .

cup cup mango chutney mango chutney

Salt and and black pepper black pepper

2.

tablespoons tablespoons EVOO EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), twice around the pan (extra-virgin olive oil), twice around the pan .

tablespoon tablespoon ground coriander ground coriander, palmful

1.

teaspoons teaspoons ground cumin ground cumin, palmful .

teaspoon teaspoon red pepper flakes red pepper flakes (eyeball it in your palm) (eyeball it in your palm)

4.

boneless, skinless boneless, skinless chicken breasts chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size pieces

1.

large large onion onion, thinly sliced

1.

red red bell pepper bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

3.

garlic cloves garlic cloves, finely chopped

3-inch piece fresh ginger fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1.

cups plain cups plain couscous couscous .

cup cup plain yogurt plain yogurt

10.

fresh fresh mint mint leaves, from several sprigs leaves, from several sprigs .

cup fresh cup fresh cilantro leaves cilantro leaves, a generous handful

3.

scallions scallions, trimmed, coarsely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

In a sauce pot over medium-low heat, combine 2 cups of the chicken stock with the mango chutney and a little salt and pepper, bring it up to a bubble, and then turn down the heat to low to just keep warm.

Heat a large skillet with high sides or a soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Once the oil is hot, add the coriander, cumin, and red pepper flakes to the oil and "toast" the spices, stirring constantly for about 15 seconds. Add the chicken and toss it in the spices until well coated. Spread the chicken out in an even layer and season it with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken pieces for 2 minutes on each side to brown, then add the onions, red bell pepper, garlic, and three fourths of the grated ginger. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining cup of chicken stock and continue to cook until almost all of the liquids have evaporated, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Scoot the chicken and veggies to the sides of the skillet, creating a crater in the center of the pan. Add the chicken stockchutney mixture and the lemon zest and juice, bring up to a bubble, and then add the couscous to the crater. Give the skillet a shake to get the couscous to settle into the liquids but still try to keep it in the crater. Use the back of a spoon to spread it out into the liquids if the shaking doesn't do the trick. Cover it with a tight-fitting lid or with a piece of aluminum foil (if you are using foil, really wrap the top of the pan; you need to hold in the steam) and then turn off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes to cook the couscous.

While the couscous is cooking with the chicken and the veggies, make the minty cilantro sauce. In a blender combine the yogurt, mint, cilantro, scallions, lime juice, the remaining grated ginger, and a small splash of water. Turn the blender on and puree until the mixture is smooth. If it doesn't get going right away, add another splash of water to get it moving. Season the sauce with a little salt and pepper.

To serve, with a fork mix the couscous with the chicken and veggies, serve up a couple of heaping spoonfuls in shallow bowls, and give each serving a generous drizzle of the minty cilantro sauce.

EXPRESS LANE SHOPPING LIST.

- [image]1 jar mango chutney mango chutney - [image]4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts chicken breasts, 6 ounces each - [image]1 red bell pepper bell pepper - [image]3-inch piece fresh ginger fresh ginger - [image]1 8-ounce container plain yogurt plain yogurt - [image]1 bunch fresh mint mint - [image]1 bunch fresh cilantro cilantro - [image]1 bunch scallions scallions And make sure you have the following On Hand: - Chicken stock - Salt and black pepper - EVOO - Ground coriander - Ground cumin - Red pepper flakes - Onion - Garlic - Lemon - Plain couscous - Lime

Steak Nicoise Hey, why should tuna have all the fun? Try this even-heartier rendition.

4 SERVINGS.

3.

tablespoons tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it) (eyeball it)

2.

garlic cloves garlic cloves, finely chopped

2.

teaspoons teaspoons hot sauce hot sauce (eyeball it) (eyeball it)

7.

tablespoons tablespoons EVOO EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) (extra-virgin olive oil)

Black pepper

2.

pounds pounds boneless shoulder boneless shoulder or top round steak or top round steak