Persian Chicken Thighs
with couscous / cucumber and pomegranate salad
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.
Ingredients
- Stock, any type - 1 cup (sub water)
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Butter - 2 Tbsp
- Couscous, uncooked - 3/4 cup
- 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
- 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
Nutrition Facts
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!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
Most Helpful
This was fantastic and made my house smell good while cooking! I did add feta to the salad but that was the only adjustment!
1 Helpful72 reviews
Good flavor, pretty mild. I added carrots to the onions and chicken and served with quinoa instead of couscous.
0 HelpfulSo good. I just made the chicken as I knew the kids wouldn't eat the pomegranate salad. Made green beans on the side. I will definitely make this again!
0 HelpfulI wish we’d added feta to the salad - really felt like it should be there as we were eating it. Always like couscous on the side - just wish it were easier to find around here. For some reason, it’s only sold in the boxes with seasonings
0 HelpfulThis was delicious! I had leftovers for my lunch the next day, and I shared with colleagues who asked for the recipe.
0 HelpfulMade .org & vegetarian version. Everyone liked their version. Used 1/2 amount of yogurt for chicken marinade as not huge yogurt fans & worked well.
0 Helpful