I’m gonna cut right to the chase and tell you that this was originally a HelloFresh meal and I’ve made it nearly ten times since. I’m always having to refer back to the app for the recipe, and there also really isn’t a way for me to conveniently share that with other people when they’ve asked, which they have, because I rave about it.
So similar to my no-knead bread recipe, I’m making this easier for myself by making a quick link!
the ingredients
1lb chicken breast - honestly, the lazy girl way is to just get a rotisserie, which I am not above. The original recipe has you poach the chicken, but really, cook the chicken however you want & shred it.
Carrots & Celery - I use equal amounts of both, probably 3 or 4 large carrots/celery stalks each
2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic
3 or 4 scallions - are individual scallions called stalks? I don’t know.
A lemon
Dill - I’ll use all of what you get in the pack from the grocery store, but you could do it to taste.
1 Cup of Israeli couscous (or pearled couscous) - I’m telling you, don’t get regular couscous. It won’t work the same. This kind from Trader Joe’s is the best, in my opinion. Just make sure it’s pearled!
Chicken stock concentrate - I’ve also used chicken broth in the past because it’s what I had on hand. If you’re going with the stock concentrate option, I use 3 packets.
5 or so tablespoons of sour cream or greek yogurt
Salt & pepper
the instructions
Cook and shred your chicken (or just shred if you got the lazy gal rotisserie).
Prepare the goods — Peel, trim, and halve carrot lengthwise & slice into half moons. Chop celery. Trim and slice scallions, separating greens from whites. Zest lemon. Pick off fronds from dill and finely chop.
Heat drizzle of olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, and big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until veggies are lightly browned and softened (about 3-5 mins). Add garlic & scallion whites and cook (about 1 min).
Stir in about 4-5 cups of water, stock concentrate (or if you’re doing chicken broth, just do that instead of water & concentrate), and couscous. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and let couscous cook until tender (about 7 mins).
Add in the shredded chicken and remove the pot from the heat. Stir in scallion greens, sour cream (or greek yogurt), lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
a quick note
You may notice that my ingredient amounts feel kinda “I dunno, do what you want” and I agree. I’ll follow a recipe the first time (usually) and then as I make things again, I’ll adjust based on what I want - going by looks and taste - so I expect (and recommend) others do the same. I like a pretty even and hearty ratio of everything in meals like soup, but you might want to do more of the veggies and less couscous, or vise versa. The amounts I have listed here are already more than what the original recipe called for, and that’s because I’m looking out for you and making it so that you have leftovers. You’ll want them.