Harissa-Rubbed Chicken with Herbed Israeli Couscous Stuffing

Name: Harissa-Rubbed Chicken with Herbed Israeli Couscous Stuffing
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 c. dry (uncooked) Israeli couscous; kosher salt; 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed, breasts butterflied and pounded to 1/2-in. thickness; 1/4 c. chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving; 1/4 c. raisins, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. olive oil; Store-bought harissa (North African chile paste), mild if desired

By Stacy AdimandoPublished: Sep 18, 2015

Harissa-Rubbed Chicken with Herbed Israeli Couscous Stuffing

Stacy Adimando

Yields:

Total Time:

55 mins

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Give your chicken a spicy mediterranean spin.

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Ingredients

1 cup dry (uncooked) Israeli couscous
kosher salt
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed, breasts butterflied and pounded to 1/2-in. thickness
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving
1/4 cup raisins, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. + 2 tbsp. olive oil
Store-bought harissa (North African chile paste), mild if desired

Directions

1. Step 1Make couscous salad: Bring medium pot of water to rapid boil and add couscous and few pinches of salt. Boil couscous like pasta until just under al dente (couscous should still have a firm bite), about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water until cooled. Drain well.
2. Step 2Transfer couscous to bowl and season again with salt. Add dill and raisins, and drizzle with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Toss to combine, then set aside.
3. Step 3Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, spread pounded chicken pieces cut sides up and short sides facing you on clean work surface. Cut out twelve 10-inch pieces of cooking twine and set them near work surface. Divide couscous among chicken pieces, piling couscous in line down length of each chicken breast. Working one at a time, wrap long ends of chicken around mixture to overlap slightly (don’t worry if a little couscous falls out). Tie chicken in three places with cooking twine, starting about 1 inch from either end. Tuck any escaped couscous back inside pockets, then rest chicken seam side down. Press breast together with hands to make compact, football-shaped packet, tucking ends under to close. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
4. Step 4In large cast iron or stainless steel skillet, add remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Season outsides of chicken generously with salt and clean away any couscous that have adhered to outside. Rub with harissa and carefully transfer seam side down to preheated pan. Let cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then continue to rotate chicken every 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
5. Step 5Transfer pan to oven and cook until chicken is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and brush with more harissa. Garnish with extra dill if desired, and serve, reminding guests to cut away and discard cooking twine as they eat.