This “all in one pot” colorful and tasty dish is easy to prepare and great to have on a cold winter’s day. It’s hearty, warm and satisfying, yet not too heavy.
I’ve used colorful Israeli couscous, but any type will do. Just don’t be tempted to switch the Israeli couscous with similar shaped pasta, as regular pasta will not be fully cooked with this small amount of liquids, nor will it keep its shape the way the Israeli couscous does.
Makes: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
4 chicken thighs
1 Tbs salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 medium size onion, diced
1 cup Israeli couscous
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups roughly chopped mini peppers (from 8-10)
1 cup chicken stock
1. Heat the oil in a medium flat pot, over medium-high heat. Pat dry the thighs with paper towels and season with some of the salt and pepper. Add to the pot, skin side down, and fry for 4-5 minutes, until the skin is golden. Gently turn and fry for 2-3 minutes longer.
2. Transfer the thighs to a plate and keep in a warm place. Add the onion and a bit more of the salt and pepper and mix well. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the onions soften a bit. Place the thighs back in the pot, skin side up. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Transfer the thighs again to a plate and keep in a warm place. Place a paper towel sheet over the onions, to absorb access fat and oil. Discard the paper.
4. Add the Israeli couscous to the pot, mix well and add the scallions and peppers. Add the rest of the salt and fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken stock, mix well and place the thighs on top, skin side up. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot.
6. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the couscous is cooked and the liquids absorbed. Turn off the heat. Keep covered for 10 minutes before serving.
All of our favorite things! I was eyeing the Israeli cous cous in the cupboard yesterday – guess it is time to act on it!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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I’m glad to hear! 🙂
I find the Israeli couscous is even tastier cooked this way and with the peppers it’s like the salad is already in… 😀
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This looks delicious Ronit! Is Israeli couscous different from regular couscous? I love the way you cooked the chicken – I bet the skin must be crispy and the meat tender on the inside. Lovely dish 🙂
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Thank you Indu. I’m glad you liked the idea. 🙂
The skin is not as crispy here, because the cooking is done with covered pot. But the meat is indeed tender and juicy.
Israeli couscous is a type of toasted pasta, but is cooked like rice… The texture and shape is different than regular couscous.
You can read more about it in the following post:
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2013/10/20/scallops-with-lemony-cream-sauce-israeli-couscous-salad/
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thanks Ronit for the additional info!
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My pleasure. 🙂
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This looks yummy! I love dishes that cook in one pot – all those lovely flavors melding together!!
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Thank you Cecile! I love these types of dishes as well. 🙂
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Look at all those yummy colors! Can’t wait to give this recipe a try. Love couscous.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Wow! I love it, Ronit! It looks so delicious!!
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Thank you Serena. I’m glad to hear! 🙂
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This is my kind of dinner! Love one pot meals for the easy cleanup…but, especially for the marriage of flavors the ingredients achieve. The thighs look like they’re cooked to perfection! I must find some of that colorful, Israeli couscous…it lends another dimension of beauty to the entire dish. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your recipe, Ronit!
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Thank you, Nancy! 🙂
I too am very fond of such dishes – easy to make and to clean, and with all the flavors blending into each other.
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Just my kind of a meal. Love the couscous. Maybe I can also substitute it for quinoa for a change. Thanks for sharing ☺
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Thank you! 🙂
I believe quinoa could work out well here, but I haven’t tried it myself. Good luck! 🙂
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Oh my, Ronit! Chicken thights are one of my favorites like big time! And this is the must option 😀 It looks so tasty. Fantastic recipe and I’m making it for sure once this Christmas madness is over haha Have a lovely week Ronit xx
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Thank you Marta! 🙂 I do prefer the tights for cooking such dishes. I think they have the best flavor and texture. I hope you’ll enjoy the results once you find the time to make the dish. Have a great week too. 🙂
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brilliant! Always want new recipes for chicken thighs. Liking this one lots 🙂
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Thank you Liz. I’m glad to hear. 🙂
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Now, this is my type of recipe and dish, Ronit. A one pot meal that’s easy to prepare and packed with flavor. Great tip, too, about using the paper towel to get rid of some excess grease. Much better idea than attempting to tip the pan and pour off the grease. Much better.
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Thank you John. I’m glad you like the recipe. 🙂
The paper towels trick works really beautifully. It’s quite amazing how the paper can gather the oily layer and not the sauce itself.
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One pot dinners are always welcomed in our home and this one sounds very good. I have all the ingredients…including a half bag of Israeli couscous. 🙂
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Hope you’ll enjoy the results. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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This looks really good — and easy. Will have to give it a try.
Would it work with skinless, boneless thighs? Or would the timing all be off?
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Glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
I think it could work with boneless/skinless thighs, but the cooking time for them is indeed shorter: 15 minutes with the onions should do. Then add the peppers/Israeli couscous as in the recipe.
Also you can check out this recipe that has skinless/boneless thighs: https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/chicken-carrot-and-dried-currants-rice-pilaf/
I hope you’ll enjoy the results. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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It ended up being delicious. I used S/B thighs because the Hub much prefers them, but I think it would have been even tastier using on-the-bone thighs. One problem — I didn’t heed your instructions, and used pearled couscous, because Stop n Shop had no Israeli couscous — even though they have always had it before when I didn’t need it! Grrrrr! And you were right, even the pearled (which is bigger than the regular) still needed almost ten more minutes of cooking. I took out the chicken and kept it warm while the couscous finally got to tender.
A lovely recipe. Thank you.
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Thank you for the update. 🙂
I’m really glad to hear the dish was a success even without the Israeli couscous! 🙂
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Love the colors & it sounds delis! I never think to use chicken thighs, but they’re so flavorful. Thanks for the recipe!
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Thank you Jeanne. I’m glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
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This was soooo good, first time I have used Israeli Couscous and like so much better I am give my others to the food bank. I did have to make one change and that is used coconut oil as no EVOO and love the flavor it gave. I used the mini peppers, yellow, orange and red and the rest of another red pepper I needed to use. The store I work at has a 25% off anything bulk this wee-end and I bought 2 lbs. to have on hand and going to double this afternoon to have during the week. Chicken thighs are my favorites. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
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Thank you, Jan. 🙂
I’m glad to hear you liked the Israeli couscous – and how nice of you to give the others to the food bank! 🙂
I love the idea of the coconut oil – I’ll give it a try next time I’ll be making this. Maybe I’ll make it even more “tropical” by adding some chopped pineapple while at it…
Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
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Delicious and colorful looking!!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Mmm, looks very delicious! And your couscous is so bigger than the one we have in our stores..:)
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Thank you Tamara! I’m glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Israeli couscous is actually a type of toasted pasta. If you’re interested in more information about it, check out this link:
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2013/10/20/scallops-with-lemony-cream-sauce-israeli-couscous-salad/
For a recipe with the more familiar couscous, check out this link:
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/colorful-couscous-lentil-and-raisins-salad/
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Aaaa, interesting..:) I will check out the links, thank you! 😉
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You’re welcome!:)
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Reblogged this on On the Road Cooking and commented:
YUM!!
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Salivating!!!!
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Thank you Kiki! 🙂
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