Ingredients

• For the chicken and vegetables


• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs about 1lb – 450g
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed (for marinade)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Cracked black pepper (don't forget it!)
7oz – 200g asparagus, trimmed and chopped into thirds
• 1 cup – 150g peas (fresh or frozen)

• For the couscous
1 cup – 170g couscous

• 1 cup – 240ml boiling water or chicken stock
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ cup – 15g chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 tbsp chopped dill

• For the lemon butter sauce

• ½ cup – 120ml chicken stock
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp butter
• splash of white wine
• Fresh herbs to garnish

Steps

• Step 1

  In a bowl, combine chicken with olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon zest, sea salt, and don’t forget the cracked pepper. Mix well and let marinate while you prepare everything else.

• Step 2

  For the veges, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.

• Step 3

  Place couscous in a heatproof bowl. Add olive oil and salt. Pour over the boiling water or stock. Cover tightly and let it sit for 5 minutes.

• Step 4

  In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat a little extra olive oil if needed. Add the marinated chicken (without garlic) and cook for around 6–7 minutes per side or until golden and fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
  Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan, sauté the remaining crushed garlic for the sauce until fragrant (30 seconds).

• Step 5

  Deglaze with white wine, scrape any brown bits from the pan, reduce by half. Pour in the chicken stock and add lemon juice and simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce slightly.

• Step 6

  Meanwhile, add asparagus and peas to boiling water, blanch for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside.

• Step 7

  Return chicken to pan. Turn heat to low, add butter and swirl until melted and sauce is glossy.

• Step 8

  Fluff the couscous with a fork and fold in parsley, mint, and dill. Drizzle with a touch more olive oil if needed.

• Step 9

  To serve, spoon couscous onto plates, top with asparagus, peas, and chicken pieces. Drizzle over the lemon butter sauce and garnish with fresh herbs.

Little Tips

Keep the chicken thighs juicy by letting them rest while making the sauce and couscous.