This Israeli Couscous is full of flavor, and a fun meal for little kids. It's the perfect way to use up that food hanging around in your fridge for a while.
Do you know those leftover chicken that are always so helpful when you don't have much time to cook? Today we're going to use them in a different way... We'll make some Israeli Couscous with chicken and bacon.
Israeli couscous is a type of pasta, made out of Wheat flour and semolina. Its shape resembles a pearl (the reason why it's also known as pearl couscous), and the fact that it's toasted gives it a nutty flavor and a chewy texture.
Because it's shaped as little balls, it is very interesting for little kids, and to be honest, even for adults, because who doesn't like some chicken and bacon together? 😉
Couscous as a delicious Smart Dish
I like this recipe because it's just a different way to use up those leftovers in the fridge. In fact, this is what I consider a Smart dish.
If you are not familiar with this term, smart dish is the name I created to call the dishes that you can create using leftovers from previous recipes. This way you can have a whole new dish without all the previous work, meaning less wasting of time and money.
Yesterday, for example, I made a Honey Mustard and Bacon Chicken. Then, I saved 4 of the baked chicken breasts (I didn't add the mustard sauce to them). I froze 2 of them, to use on another busy day, and stored the other 2 in the fridge, to use in smart dishes in the next days.
Today, for the Israeli Couscous, I used the leftover baked chicken, saving me time since I didn't need to cook it again. Also, I used the leftover (raw) bacon and mushroom from yesterday. Doing this also saves me money, since the opened products kept in the fridge usually end up going to waste.
So, what I did... I cooked the couscous in one pan. Meanwhile, I fried the bacon, added the mushrooms, zucchini and cubed chicken. When everything was ready I just combined them and Voila! Dinner is ready. Simple, fast, and delicious.
It was love at first sight for my kids (they just loved the little balls), and love at first bite for me, because who doesn't love bacon??
Israeli Couscous with Chicken and Bacon
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ tablespoon chicken buillon
- 2 cups couscous
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 slices bacon
- 4 oz sliced mushrooms (115 grams)
- 1 small zucchini (cut into small pieces)
- 1 chicken breast (cooked and cubed)
Instructions
- First, start boiling 3 cups of water.
- Then, in a medium size saucepan, heat the olive oil and saute garlic until slightly golden. Add the boiling water (be careful with spills), buillon and salt. Stir it, and add the couscous. Lower the heat, cover with the lid, and cook it for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Couscous should be soft and no water left, just moisture.
- While couscous is cooking, heat up a skillet and fry the bacon until it starts to crisp. Add sliced mushrooms and cook them for about 3 minutes, then add chopped zucchini and cook it 1-2 minutes. Correct the salt. Add the chopped cooked chicken, wait for it to be hot and turn off the heat.
- By now the couscous must be done. Add the couscous to the skillet, mix it all up and enjoy.
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