Chicken couscous

Before you start

• soak the chickpeas overnight, or use half a drained tin
• a steamer or a colander that sits in the pot without touching the broth

Ingredients

Serves 2 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 250gchicken thighs
• 100gcouscous
• 40gdried chickpeas — or half a drained tin, and skip the soak
• 2carrots
• 1courgette
• 1turnip
• 1onion
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 2 tspras el hanout
• 1 tspharissa
• 1 bunchcoriander and parsley

Method

7 steps

1. soak · 8 hours walk away

   Chickpeas under cold water overnight, unless they are coming out of a tin.

2. fry · 12m

   Chicken browned in the oil in the base of the pot, then the onion and the ras el hanout in until it smells toasted.

3. simmer · 45m walk away

   Drained chickpeas, a litre of water and the herb stalks in, and left at a low simmer with the lid on.

4. fold · 5m

   Couscous rubbed through your fingers with a spoon of oil and a splash of water until every grain is separate and damp.

5. steam · 35m

   Into the colander over the pot, uncovered, for fifteen minutes; then tipped out, forked through with a little salted water, and steamed a second time. Two steamings, not one.

6. fold · 5m

   Carrots, turnip and courgette into the broth for the last twenty-five minutes, cut into big pieces so they do not fall apart.

7. finish · 6m

   Couscous heaped on a wide dish, chicken and vegetables on top, a ladle of the broth over and the rest in a jug, harissa slackened with more broth on the side. Check the chicken is white through before it goes out.