Lemon Poppy Seed Chicken with Sweet Pea Couscous

This is a recipe I saw Rachael Ray make on her talk show, probably about a year and a half ago. I printed it off at that time, and we’ve made it occasionally since then. I didn’t realize until now just how easy this recipe is–it’s a great weeknight meal because it’s quick. It has nice flavor, too. But if you don’t like lemon and you don’t like poppyseeds, it probably goes without saying that you won’t like this. :)

Gone are the days of taking photos of our dinners in natural light. It’s getting dark earlier and earlier. So I guess these photos will have to do for the next several months, until spring rolls around again!

Lemony Poppy Chicken with Sweet Pea Couscous
(Adapted from Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:
– 2 cans chicken broth
– 1/2 lb. frozen peas
– 1 box (original flavor) couscous – We buy the 10 oz. box
– 3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
– 1 cup flour
– salt and pepper
– 1 lemon
– 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
– 2 cloves garlic
– 2 tbsp. butter
– 2 tbsp. poppy seeds
– 10 leaves of basil, chopped (or about 1 tbsp. dried basil leaves)
(If you so choose, you can also add 10 leaves of chopped mint to the couscous. I’m not big on mint, so I omit it from the recipe.)

Directions:

1. Place a large skillet over high heat with the olive oil. While the skillet is heating up, place the flour on a plate. Toss the chicken in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess. Add the chicken pieces to the hot skillet. Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and the zest of the lemon. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every now and then to get the chicken pieces brown all over. Grate or mince in the garlic in the last two minutes of cooking.

2. While chicken is cooking, get the couscous going. Following the directions on your package, boil the specified amount of chicken broth (for our package, it says 2 cups). Once boiling, add in box of couscous and the peas. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

3. Once the chicken has browned, add the remaining chicken broth to the skillet. Once the broth is hot, add the butter and poppy seeds.

4. Stir until the butter has melted and the sauce has thickened up a bit, about one minute. If you want your sauce even thicker (we do), add a slurry (1 tbsp. corn starch and a little bit of water). Turn off the heat and squeeze the juice of the lemon into the pan.

5. Remove the lid from the pot of couscous, add the basil (and mint, if you choose), and fluff with a fork. Place a portion of couscous on the plate and top with the chicken.

Enjoy!