Aromatic Spiced Chicken and Apricots with Giant Couscous

I think I prefer giant couscous to the usual fine grained type, it has an interesting texture with plenty of bite. I've never cooked it myself before and have only previously enjoyed it as a pre-prepared salad, so when I received a packet from Merchant Gourmet to try, I couldn't wait to make a full meal out of it.
Merchant Gourmet have an extensive recipe section on their website which gave me the opportunity to cook a dish recommended by them.
It was easy and very tasty, reminiscent of something Moroccan with the moist apricots adding sweetness to the earthy and zingy spices.

Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, sliced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp mild paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
4 chicken breast fillets, cut into chunks
300ml warm chicken stock
200ml boiling water
250g pack dried apricots, halved
300g giant couscous
200g fine green beans
bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
juice of half a lemon
grated lemon zest of 1 lemon

Method
Coat the chicken in all the spices, and leave to marinade for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a medium pan and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes on a gentle heat until softened.
Add the chicken and fry for a further 3 minutes.
Pour in half of the stock, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the apricots, giant couscous and remaining stock and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the couscous doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add the beans and boiling water and cook with the lid on for a further 5 minutes until the beans are cooked to an al dente texture.
Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice, and then sprinkle the chopped coriander and lemon zest on top. Serve.

For more information about Merchant Gourmet's products, visit their website:
www.merchant-gourmet.com

Food photos: ©childsdesign 2011