Greek Grilled Chicken and Lemon Couscous

As much as this blog makes it seem otherwise, I eat out a lot. Cooking is something that I love, but do not force on myself when not in the mood. One place that is always on the favorites list is Rockit in Chicago. It is a staple for me and all of my friends, so I have tried pretty much everything on the menu. One dish that is ordered for dinner frequently, and usually by more than one person in the party, is the Chicken Paillard. It is flattened chicken with a cucumber, tomato and feta salad. It is fresh, healthy and delicious. I wanted to take a stab at making a homemade version and came up with this. It was delicious and will most certainly be on summer rotation. I served it with warm pita and the tzatziki from this post.

Greek Grilled Chicken with Lemon Couscous
Forks & Amusement 2011
serves 4

1 1/3 cup whole wheat couscous (in the rice section of the market)
2 cups chicken stock or water
salt and pepper
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 minced shallot or garlic clove
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 cucumbers, deseeded and diced
1/2 cup sliced peperoncini (optional)
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 lbs. thinly sliced chicken breasts (one of my fave new market finds) or 4 breasts pounded thinly

In a small sauce pan, bring the stock or water to boil. Place the couscous in a heat safe bowl and pour the stock over it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Set aside in fridge or freezer to cool. (Can be made in advance)

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oregano, and shallot. Slowly add the oil while whisking until well combined.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill on each side for a few minutes until cooked through.

Toss tomatoes, cucumbers, peperoncini, and feta in bowl with vinaigrette. To serve, place a mound of couscous on each plate, place chicken on top, then layer the tomato and cucumber salad.

Enjoy!
xo
Erin

Simple Greek Inspired Dinner

Last night I made a quick dinner that my husband deemed "blog-worthy." A saying in the house that has become a part of our regular vocabulary. It was flavorful, easy and has just a few steps. I broke down all of the components below. You can eat and assemble however you would like!

Pita: You can find store bought Greek style pita at most markets. It is fluffier and thicker than just your average pita "pocket," so make sure you get the real deal. You simply brush each side with a little olive oil and heat up in a pan or grill pan. You can also pop in the microwave if you prefer.

Tzatziki: This is a traditional yogurt sauce that is served with pita, gyro, anything you want. Combine Greek yogurt (ie: Fage) with lemon juice, grated cucumber, salt and pepper all to taste. I would start with half a lemon's juice with every 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1/4 cucumber. Then play with it to your taste.

Greek salad: Toss together romaine, diced tomatoes (I used halved grape tomatoes), diced cucumber and diced red onion. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil to coat, salt and pepper.

Chicken: Marinate boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in marinade (tablespoon of Dijon, juice of 2 lemons, chopped fresh oregano, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil until it doubles in quantity) for 30 minutes or even up to overnight. Use enough marinade so that your chicken is fully covered in it in a plastic zip top bag. Grill chicken, let rest for 10 minutes while tented with foil, slice on an angle with sharp knife.

This is a very lose recipe. Sorry it is not very exact! But this is the perfect recipe to attempt to taste as you go and see how to make things your own. There are not very many ingredients, so please play with it!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin