This delicious and easy Couscous Chicken Salad is made with pearl couscous, chicken, lots of veggies, and a bunch of flavor! It’s great to eat warm for dinner and again the next day cold for lunch.
I made this INCREDIBLE Israeli Couscous Chicken Salad for dinner last night, if I do say so myself, but it wasn’t like I didn’t have any help.
And Mr. 365 said this was “the best dinner you’ve made in a long time.”
Hm… REALLY??
I have a blog.
Cooking and baking for the family is what I now do.
This is the “best dinner in a long time”.
Maybe I should have asked him to clarify because I have been cooking dinner quite regularly and he has been eating and hasn’t been complaining about them.
I don’t know, he’s funny like that.
My daughters and I were watching ‘Giada at Home’ on the Food Network channel when my oldest asked if I could make one of the recipes for dinner.
It was this Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika and it looked so incredibly yummy!
So, here’s my version of Giada’s ~ healthy, some added protein to make it a full course dinner and pretty easy to boot!
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- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/3 cups whole wheat Israeli couscous also known as pearl couscous
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cup packed spinach coarsely chopped or torn
- 2 cup packed arugula coarsely chopped or torn
- 18 ounces about 3 cups grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or baby heirloom tomatoes, red and yellow, halved
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 6 button mushrooms sliced
- 4 ounces crumbled Mediterranean Seasoned Feta cheese
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Whisk together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, paprika, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. S
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In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, place the tablespoon of olive oil.
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Add the couscous, stirring frequently, and cook till lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes.
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Add the water and the salt and bring to a boil.
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Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
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In a large bowl, combine the spinach, arugula, tomatoes, red pepper, parsley, and mushrooms.
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Add the Feta cheese, but do not yet mix.
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Add the couscous.
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Whisk the dressing to thoroughly combine the ingredients again and pour over the couscous.
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NOW mix everything together, allowing the heat of the couscous to warm the dressing and slightly melt the cheese.
I sliced the chicken breast in half the long way so that I had two thinner breasts, seasoned both with a tablespoon of Montreal Chicken seasoning and grilled it on my George Foreman Grill, but you can cook it however you choose. It was really tasty this way and I’ll be preparing it the same way again.
I rate everything I make on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Summer Israeli Couscous Chicken Salad earned a whopping 4 rolling pins!
The family LOVED it and definitely want me to add it to our regular menu.
It was so incredibly tasty that I really couldn’t stop eating it and was really bummed when my daughter and the Mr. got to it before I did for lunch the next day.
I’m really thinking I’m going to have to make this again next week, but I’m actually wanting some right now.
*sigh*
I’ll try it with quinoa when i make it next and see how it goes. I’ll let you know.
I shared this recipe over at This and That and Foodie Friends Friday!! Be sure to go on over to those pages and see what delicious morsels other bloggers have shared!!
If you like this recipe, then you’ll love…
Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad
Sausage Veggie Pasta Salad
Grilled Vegetable, Feta, and Orzo Salad
You’ll also love these salads from other bloggers –
BBQ Chicken Salad from Damn Delicious
Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing from Cooking Classy
Chicken Salad with Apples and Celery from PinkWhen
Autumn Couscous Salad from FoodieCrush
Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Peas, Avocado & Lemon Basil Dressing from Two Peas & Their Pod
Learn how to make a vinaigrette for your salads here:
I give you BIG baking hugs and muffins!!
momphotographer says
July 19, 2012 at 1:57 pmI love couscous!!! your recipe looks really good!
Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking says
July 19, 2012 at 3:54 pmThank you! Let me know what you think if you try it!
Ericka Breedlove says
July 21, 2012 at 12:49 amThis sounds like a wonderful salad! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!
Monet says
July 21, 2012 at 10:15 pmAnd we were just wondering what we should have for dinner…this looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing it with me. The perfect summer meal. Hugs and love!
Walking on Sunshine... says
July 21, 2012 at 10:41 pmLooks like a great salad! Thanks for sharing at Foodie Friends Friday! Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and VOTE!
Marlys Folly says
July 22, 2012 at 10:39 pmYUM! Looks great.. thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday.. New follower to your blog
marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com
Mahmudul Hasan says
May 6, 2013 at 5:36 amNice making details and also nice recipe as well.Great share.
Couscous recipes
Beverley Press says
May 23, 2016 at 5:39 pmI’m so happy you are revisiting this recipe and sharing it in a live view with us….yay! you are awesome xoxo
Lynne says
May 24, 2016 at 6:22 pmAwwww Beverly, you’re a sweetheart!! Thank you so very much and I look forward to doing more videos and sharing recipes!
Larryn Griffith says
February 28, 2017 at 9:14 pmHi! I was wondering how it would be with quinoa, too. Very good as well, I would think. Couscous is wheat and my son is gluten-free, so I usually head for the quinoa. He’s also a vegetarian, but I could share it with him before I put the chicken on. This really looks delicious, and I’m looking forward to trying it. (With the chicken, for me!) Thank you for the post.
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
November 20, 2017 at 6:39 pmI love how fresh this looks! Especially now in the doldrums of late fall!
Lynne says
November 27, 2017 at 11:47 amI love colorful food all year round and this salad is a great way to brighten things up a bit!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
November 22, 2017 at 11:55 amLove all those veggies and couscous!
Erin Clarkson says
November 23, 2017 at 7:52 amAmazing! I love Israeli Cous Cous1
Richa Gupta says
November 24, 2017 at 9:22 amThe salad looks amazing with some great combo!
Carolyn says
November 24, 2017 at 6:56 pmI love how colorful it is!