Persian Chicken Thighs
with couscous / cucumber and pomegranate salad

Name: Persian Chicken Thighs
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup Stock, any type (sub water); 1/4 tsp Salt; 2 Tbsp Butter; 3/4 cup Couscous, uncooked; 1/2 Onions, medium, sliced; 1/2 cup Yogurt, plain or Greek, plus extra for serving; 2 Tbsp Oil, olive; 2 Tbsp Lemon juice; 1 tsp Cumin, ground; 1 tsp Turmeric, ground; 1 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, ground; 1 lb Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless; for roasting Foil (opt); 1 lb Cucumbers, diced (preferably a seedless variety, like English cucumbers); 6 Mint leaves, chopped; 1/4 cup Pomegranate seeds (look for these removed from the pomegranate shells in the produce section; sub chopped nuts or skip); 1 Tbsp Oil, olive; 1 Tbsp Lemon juice

Active: 40 min Total: 1 hr

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

A yogurt-based marinade tenderizes and flavors the chicken that is finished on a sheet pan in this colorful meal.
Smarts: Make a double batch of couscous tonight and use the leftovers in the filling for Thursday's stuffed acorn squash.

Proteins

Chicken, non-ground

Cuisines

Middle Eastern / North African

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Couscous:

Stock, any type - 1 cup (sub water)
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 2 Tbsp
Couscous, uncooked - 3/4 cup

Persian Chicken Thighs:

Onions, medium - 1/2 , sliced
Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1/2 cup , plus extra for serving
Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
Cumin, ground - 1 tsp
Turmeric, ground - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Cinnamon, ground - 1/4 tsp
Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless - 1 lb
Foil (opt) - for roasting

Cucumber and Pomegranate Salad:

Cucumbers - 1 lb , diced (preferably a seedless variety, like English cucumbers)
Mint leaves - 6 , chopped
Pomegranate seeds - 1/4 cup (look for these removed from the pomegranate shells in the produce section; sub chopped nuts or skip)
Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp

Prep

Make couscous - (Double if making Thursday’s meal.) Combine stock, salt (portion for couscous), and butter in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in couscous and cover with lid. Let stand for ~5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Onions - Slice onions. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Marinate chicken - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating while chicken marinates.) Combine onions, yogurt, olive oil (portion for chicken), lemon juice (portion for chicken), cumin, turmeric, salt (portion for chicken), and ground cinnamon. Add chicken and tenderize with a fork. Marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Cucumbers / Mint - Prep as directed. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

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Make

Heat oven to 425F / 218C.
Line a sheet pan with foil (optional, but will make clean up easy) or brush with some cooking oil. Spread chicken and onions out on prepared sheet pan (no need to drain off marinade). Season with some salt and pepper.
Transfer sheet pan with chicken and onions to the oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes (depending on size). The chicken is done when it reaches 165F / 74C degrees.
When chicken is nearly done roasting, toss together cucumbers, mint, pomegranate seeds, olive oil (portion for salad), and lemon juice (portion for salad). Season with some salt.
If couscous was made ahead, reheat in the microwave (reserve half if doubled).
Serve chicken and onions over couscous with salad on the side. Enjoy!

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