Middle-Eastern Chicken

A great sounding one-dish meal complete with great spices, chickpeas, raisins and couscous. Recipe is from my Low-Fat & Healthy One-Pot Meals booklet.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  lb chicken breast (boneless,skinless, cut into 6-7 large pieces)
• 1  large onion, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  teaspoons olive oil
• 1 3⁄4 cups  low-fat chicken broth
• 1  green bell pepper, seeded and diced (I prefer red)
• 2  cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, well drained
• 1⁄2 cup raisins
• 1  large bay leaf
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1  cup couscous (uncooked)
•  salt, to taste
•  chopped parsley (to garnish)

Directions

1. Coat Dutch oven or large, heavy pot with cooking spray. Cook chicken pieces over medium heat, turning frequently, until they begin to brown, With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to medium bowl and set aside.
2. To same pot, add onion, garlic, oil, and 2 tablespoons broth. Stir up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 5-6 minutes or until onion is tender. If liquid begins to evaporate, add more broth.
3. Return the chicken to the pot. Add remaining broth, green pepper, tomato, garbanzos, raisins, bay leaf, thyme, cumin, allspice, cloves and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove bay leaf and discard.
4. Add couscous and stir to mix well. Boil 2 minutes, covered. Remove pot from heat; stir up any couscous sticking to bottom. Allow mixture to stand 10-15 minutes, covered. Add salt to taste, if desired.
5. Arrange couscous on serving platter and top with chicken and sauce. Garnish with parsley.