Serves 4
- Total Time 1 hour
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 1/2 cups pearl couscous
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups (2oz) baby spinach, chopped coarse
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/2 oz)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on all sides, about 6 minutes; Transfer to bowl.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium heat. Add leeks and couscous and cook until leeks have softened and couscous is lightly toasted, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in broth and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally until couscous is tender, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in chicken and any accumulated juices and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in spinach, Parmesan, peas, and cream and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve.
Note: Pearl couscous is often labeled “Israeli couscous” in the supermarket. Do not substitute regular couscous, as it requires a different cooking method and will not work here.
Note: To clean leeks:
- lay trimmed, halved leeks cut side down on a cutting board and cut to desired size.
- Transfer leeks to a bowl of cold water and rub together until layers separate. Set aside for 1 minute to allow grit to settle to bottom of bowl.
- Lift leeks from water and transfer to colander to drain. Do not pour leeks from bowl into colander, or you’ll pour dirt over them again.
Stolen from: “Cook it in your dutch oven”, page 21, by America’s Test Kitchen