I have always been one of those people who is almost always excited to whip up meals for my family. I don’t stress about it. I enjoy coming up with meals that don’t take too much effort like this Creamy Lemon Chicken Couscous.
One flavor profile my whole family agrees on is a savory lemon dish, whether it's in pasta form, chicken, salads, etc. A warm, comforting dish with lemon and herb flavors mingling with chicken, pasta, or other grains is almost always a home run in this house
Swanson® Broths are 100% natural, NON-GMO, contain no artificial flavors or preservatives, and contain no MSG. I couldn’t make it better myself! And bonus, no dishes to clean!
Even when my daughter does make chicken stock from a chicken carcass we happen to have (something she loves to do...we never let one go to waste), typically she’ll supplement that with additional Swanson® broth so we have enough for what we are going to make with it.
If you are looking for a simple weeknight dinner to try out on your family, give this Creamy Lemon Chicken over Couscous a try. You can customize it however you wish by swapping out the couscous for orzo, adding in some mushrooms and chopped carrots, or whatever else you think your family will enjoy.
I decided to add chopped zucchini for additional texture and nutrients. You can easily make this dish your own. It’s the perfect comfort food for these chilly nights.
Table of Contents
This Creamy Lemon Chicken is easy to customize
Making Creamy Lemon Chicken Over Couscous is easy. From start to finish, it should take you no longer than 30 minutes.
First, you prep your “mise en place,” which simply means to set everything in its place to make the dish which, trust me, makes creating your meal quick and efficient. This is one of the very first things I taught my kids to do at a young age and where I love having my them assist me.
Dinnertime is a family affair, right? So get the whole family pitching in.
Chop the onions and zucchini, and portion out the butter, chicken broth, cream, and couscous. Set aside. Set out the seasonings and herbs you will be using as well as any other components, utensils, and pans.
Squeeze out your lemon juice and slice some lemon rounds for garnish.
Start by cleaning up your chicken breasts and quickly pounding them for evenness. Or purchase the smaller chicken tender pieces, which typically are already even in size and thickness.
Once you are ready to begin, this recipe for Creamy Lemon Chicken over Couscous comes together quickly. Follow along in the step-by-step instructions below.
Variations
- I chose to add in some diced zucchini for a veg to keep this a simple one-pan meal. That is optional.
- You can choose to add in asparagus tops or frozen carrots and peas if you like. You can leave out vegetables altogether; your call.
- I would, however, leave in the onions as they give it a delicious depth of flavor.
- You can add in scallions for additional color and flavor right at the end or add pine nuts, capers, or whatever you feel your family will enjoy. I often add capers when making chicken with lemon flavors.
- You can leave the chicken breasts whole or slice them up for cooking. Typically, I cook them whole and slice them for presentation after they have been cooked. Up to you.
- If you enjoy dark meat, swap out the breasts for boneless chicken thighs.
If you enjoy sauce, make extra. Especially if you want to dip some crusty bread in it, mmmm! A pinch of red pepper flakes helps make this sauce sing. If you enjoy a little heat in your food, double that—like I do!
Swap couscous for orzo or even angel hair pasta. Make this Creamy Lemon Chicken your own.
Feel free to double the amount of chicken in this recipe. The only addition you would really need to make if you choose to do so is adding a little extra oil for sautéing the chicken.
The couscous takes all of 3-4 minutes to be made and, if left covered after you fluff it, holds up perfectly until you are ready to assemble the dish.
Enjoy!! XO Colleen
Chicken Recipes you may enjoy
Creamy Lemon Chicken Couscous.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken
- 1 pound of boneless chicken
- Salt & pepper
- 2 TBS olive or grapeseed oil
- 2 cups of Swanson® Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 TBS garlic paste or 2 garlic cloves minced
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup minced sweet onion
- 1 cup chopped zucchini optional
- ¼ cup butter cut into chunks
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- Optional: 4 slices lemon for garnish
- For The Couscous
- 10 oz of plain couscous
- 1 cup Swanson® chicken broth
- 1 TBS olive or grapeseed oil or butter
- Dash salt & pepper
- OR cook according to the box or bags directions you purchase
Instructions
- In a plastic baggie, lightly pound your chicken breasts one by one a few times until they are an even thickness (or purchase the smaller chicken tender pieces, which are already uniform). Season both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Combine 2 cups chicken broth, ¼ cup lemon juice, garlic and red pepper flakes in a liquid measuring cup and set aside.
- Chop & measure out your onions and zucchini (if using), butter, parsley <g class="gr_ gr_168 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="168" data-gr-id="168">and</g> lemon slices so they are ready to go.
- Place a medium pot on the stove filled with chicken broth and oil/butter for your couscous.
- In a large sauté pan, heat your oil over medium-high heat. Once you see the oil begin to shimmer slightly, add in your chicken and brown on each side for approximately 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness). Flip once. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add in your chicken broth, lemon, garlic & red pepper mixture. Scrape up any brown bits and allow mixture to simmer until reduced by half.
- Meanwhile heat your chicken broth for your couscous. Once that comes to a boil, remove from heat, add in couscous, cover and allow it to stand for 4 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside covered until needed for assembly.
- Once the chicken broth mixture in your saute pan has reduced by half, add in zucchini, remove from heat, whisk in butter until fully dissolved. Whisk in heavy cream. Season with a little salt and pepper and if you like additional red pepper.
- Add chicken back into the pan and heat for 1-2 minutes over low, just to rewarm the chicken. Do not heat over high as you don't want to “break” the added cream with too much heat.
- Scoop couscous onto a platter or casserole dish, place chicken over top (whole or sliced) and spoon sauce over top. Garnish with lemon slices and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Bonita Thompson says
Am I missing when you ad the cream?
Stephanie P says
Where do the onions come into play? I see where we set them to the side, but where in the process do I add them? I am the worst cook and this looks delicious.
Molly says
I don’t know if you got a response to this…. It was a year ago…. But, it’s not there, you’re not missing it. I’m going to add them in after I brown my chicken but before I add the broth…?