Mediterranean Cous Cous Salad with a Grilled Chicken Skewer

 

Ingredients for Cous Cous Salad: 

10 oz of raw green beens, trimmed
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
1 1/2 cups of Israeli Cous Cous
2 cups of chicken broth

3 TBSP olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for dressing: 

Juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup olive oil
1 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TBSP oil from the sun dried tomato jar

Ingredients for chicken: 

3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
The oil from the sun dried tomato jar (reserve 1 TBSP for the dressing)
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning

Directions for the Cous Cous Salad: 

1. Heat a large saute pan with 1 TBSP olive oil. On medium heat, add the greens beans with salt and pepper and saute until just tender - about 5 minutes. Let cool completely and then cut into 1 inch pieces

2. Use that same pan and add 1 TBSP olive oil. Add chickpeas with salt and pepper and saute on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Let cool completely. 

3. In a medium saucepan, add the chicken broth, 1 TBSP olive oil along with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in the cous cous and cook until tender - about 6-8 minutes. Let cool completely. 

4. Combine the ingredients to make the dressing. 

5. In a large bowl, combine the cous cous, green beans, sun dried tomatoes, chickpeas. Add a few TBSP of dressing and toss. At this point you can reserve in the fridge until ready to serve.  

6. When the salad is ready to serve, add the feta crumbles and toss again. Taste for seasoning and add a little more dressing if you like it wetter. 

Directions for Chicken: 

1. Cut the chicken into similar bite sized pieces but big enough to get a skewer. 

2. Season with olive oil from sun dried tomato jar along with a generous amount of salt, pepper, italian seasoning. 

3. Skewer the chicken (should make about 5 skewers). 

4. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 8 hours. 

5. Grill over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes or until nicely charred and the internal temp of several pieces checked equals 165 degrees. 

Serve with a little extra dressing drizzled over the top, if desired.  

Wine pairing: 

Westwood
Gap's Crown Pinot Noir
2017
Sonoma, CA