Spicy Coconut Chicken & Couscous

Sweet heat is one of my very favorite flavor profiles. And this recipe fulfills this love on every level. Spicy Coconut Chicken & Couscous has that lovely velvety sweetness of coconut milk with the quick heat of the Fresno Chili. It is a balance that you might not expect but it is so very delicious.

I prefer Israeli Couscous for most of my couscous dishes. And this particular recipe is written for Pearl or Israeli Couscous. If you prefer or already have on hand the smaller, granular style of couscous, you will need to adjust the cooking and method, but it would still totally work. It’s a texture thing for me, just don’t really like things that feel super grainy when I am eating.

For this recipe, I went with a green zucchini for the vegetable portion. This would work with a summer squash as well as a potato. If you go with a potato, you will want to cut them small enough to cook through in this same cooking time, or you could parboil them before adding so that the chicken doesn’t get dry from prolonged cooking.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Spicy Coconut Chicken & Couscous

A Chicken and couscous meal that is bursting with the bold flavors of Fresno chilies, zucchini, garlic and onion.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword Chicken, chicken thighs, coconut milk, couscous, fresno chili, red onion

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• ½ Red Onion diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves minced
• 2 Medium Zucchinis halved and sliced
• 2 Fresno Chilies sliced
• 2 15oz can Coconut Milk full fat
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• ½ cup Fresh Chives chopped (plus more for garnish

For the Chicken

• 4 tbsp Oil
• 6 Chicken Thighs bone-in, skin off
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Cumin

For Couscous

• 3 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 cups Pearl Couscous

Instructions

• Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, pepper and cumin. Add oil to large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken on each side for 4 minutes. Then remove from pan and keep warm.
• In same pan, add onions and garlic. Cook for two minutes then add chilies and zucchini. Let saute for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Bring just to a boil then add chicken back to pan. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Let cook for 30 minutes.
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add chicken broth for couscous to a boil. Once bubbling, add couscous, cover with lid and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat – do not remove lid until ready to serve.
• Serve portion of couscous and piece of chicken with ladle of sauce over top. Sprinkle with chives, if desired.