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Moroccan-Spiced Chicken and Butternut Squash Couscous Bowl

Chicken and butternut squash cooked with cumin, turmeric and paprika, with red pepper, broccoli and lemony wholewheat couscous. A quick dinner with 45g of protein, ready in 25 minutes.

Dinner

25

Serves 2

A blue and white patterned bowl of golden spiced chicken with butternut squash cubes, red pepper strips, broccoli and couscous, scattered with chopped herbs and topped with two lemon pieces

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
  • 300g/10½oz skinless chicken breast, cut into 2cm/¾in pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 250g/9oz ready-prepared butternut squash chunks, any large pieces halved (about 2cm/¾in)
  • 1 red pepper (about 150g/5oz), cut into thin strips
  • 150g/5oz broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 4 tbsp (60ml) water, divided
  • 100g/3½oz wholewheat couscous
  • 150ml/⅔ cup boiling vegetable or chicken stock (check the label for allergens)
  • 1 lemon: half juiced (about 1 tbsp/15ml), half cut into 2 pieces to serve
  • A small bunch of coriander (cilantro) or flat-leaf parsley (about 15g/½oz), chopped
  • A pinch of salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Boil the kettle and make up the stock. Put the squash in a microwaveable bowl with 2 tbsp of the water, cover and microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes, until almost tender.
  2. Meanwhile, toss the chicken with the spices and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan (about 28cm/11in) with a lid over a medium to high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden on all sides. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl, pour over the boiling stock, cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the squash with any liquid from the bowl, the pepper, broccoli and the remaining 2 tbsp water to the chicken pan. Turn the heat down to medium, cover with the lid (or a baking tray) and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once and adding a splash more water if the pan looks dry, until the broccoli is just tender and the chicken is cooked through with no pink meat (75°C on a probe thermometer, if you have one).
  5. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the lemon juice and half the herbs. Divide between two bowls, spoon the chicken and vegetables on top and finish with the rest of the herbs and a lemon piece to squeeze over. Cool any leftovers quickly and put them in the fridge within 1 hour; they keep covered for up to 2 days. Reheat once only, until steaming hot.

Why it works

A bowl gives you about 45g of protein and 12g of fibre for 541 calories, most of the protein from the chicken.

Why it is quick. Couscous only needs soaking in boiling stock, and microwaving the squash while the chicken browns saves time, so the whole bowl is ready in about 25 minutes. Ready-prepared squash saves the peeling.

Why wholewheat couscous. Wholewheat couscous has more fibre than the regular kind and is ready in about 5 minutes, just like the regular kind.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. With 53g of carbohydrate, inside our limit for the blood sugar tag, plenty of protein from the chicken and fibre from the couscous, squash and broccoli, this bowl is less likely to cause a sharp rise in blood sugar.

Contains wheat (gluten). Stock cubes and pots vary, so check the label for celery, wheat, milk and soya. Free from dairy, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soya and sesame as written, if your stock is too. For a gluten-free version, swap the couscous for quinoa cooked following the pack (about 15 minutes longer) and use a gluten-free stock. For another chicken bowl, try the chicken shawarma meal prep bowls.