One-Pot Chicken Couscous With Parmesan And Asparagus Recipe

Asparagus is a springtime vegetable that may only be available in the produce section from March through June, so it's best to enjoy it during its all-too-brief season. Fresh asparagus, after all, tastes so much better than the canned kind. While asparagus on its own is a serviceable side, here, it's one of the stars in a one-pot meal with chicken and couscous. According to developer Julianne De Witt, this recipe is "hearty, tasty, and satisfying," while she also lauds the fact that it's "quick and easy to prepare ... perfect for a busy weeknight." After all, as she notes, "One-pot dinners make cleanup so much easier."

When it comes to choosing asparagus stalks, De Witt says that bigger is better. The reason for this, she explains, is that "large asparagus ... can stand up to the cooking time without getting too soft." If smaller asparagus is all that you have available, she suggests that you add it closer to the end so it doesn't have to cook for quite so long.

The base of this one-pot meal consists of asparagus, boneless chicken thighs, and pearl couscous. You're also going to need some seasonings, these being salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Other ingredients that go into the pot include avocado oil, an onion, garlic, chicken stock, and sun-dried tomatoes, while Parmesan cheese and parsley decorate the finished dish.

Place the chicken thighs in a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle with the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Mix well to ensure that the chicken is evenly coated with the spices.

Add the avocado oil to a large, lidded frying pan over medium-high heat.

Sear the chicken, skin-side down, for approximately 1 ½ minutes, until browned.

Flip the chicken and sear for an additional 1 minute. Remove the chicken and set aside.

In the same pan, saute the onions and garlic until softened, approximately 1 minute.

Add the couscous, stir, and cook until lightly toasted, 1 ½ minutes.

Add the chicken stock, sun-dried tomatoes, remaining salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir.

Place the chicken on top of the couscous and add the asparagus.

Bring to a boil, then place the lid on the frying pan and simmer for 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is cooked through but still firm.

To serve, garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Pearl couscous, which, as De Witt notes, also goes by the name of gourmet or Israeli couscous, is somewhat different from the standard Moroccan couscous. As De Witt tells us, both types may look somewhat grain-like but are "actually similar to pasta and are made from semolina flour." The pearl couscous, however, is toasted, which gives it a somewhat nuttier flavor. It's also larger and rounder than the more rice-like Moroccan couscous, making for a chewier mouthful.

In order to soften up, pearl couscous needs to be simmered, as opposed to regular couscous which only needs a brief immersion in boiling water. In this recipe, DeWitt cooks it until all of the liquid is absorbed, but if you're preparing pearl couscous as a standalone side or to use in a salad, you need not do this. Cook the couscous in about 3 cups of water to 1 cup of couscous for 7 to 8 minutes, then check to see if it's al dente. (If it's still a bit hard, it may take an extra minute or two.) Once the pearl couscous has the consistency that you want, you can then drain it.

One way you might want to change up this recipe is by using a different cut of chicken. De Witt is going with boneless, skinless thighs, but if you prefer white meat, you could swap those out for breasts or tenders. Chicken breasts may be larger than thighs, though, so they may require additional cooking time to reach a safe internal temperature of 165 F. De Witt also suggests using bone-in thighs, although she notes that these, too, take longer to cook. As she advises, "Sear them for a few minutes longer at a lower heat, if necessary, before adding them to the couscous," advice that would also apply if you wanted to use bone-in breasts.

Some of the other ingredients, too, could be easily substituted, if need be. If you don't have avocado oil, any neutral-flavored cooking oil will work. As you're not using it for deep-frying, olive oil would be perfectly okay to use here. You could also swap either smoked or hot paprika for the sweet paprika De Witt favors, although these would add either smoky or spicy flavors, respectively. As for the sun-dried tomatoes, if you're fresh out of these but have some fresh tomatoes on hand, chop these up, squirt some oil on them, and bake them at 450 F for 20 minutes to make semi-dried tomatoes. If you don't care for tomatoes, you can use a jar of roasted red peppers, instead.