Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, skinned
• 12 oz. couscous
• For vegetable soup:
• 1 ½ pints chicken soup
• 6 oz. chick peas, soaked for 12 hours
• 2 small white turnips, peeled
• 3 carrots, scraped
• 3 courgettes
• 1 green or red pepper, cored and seeded
• 2 leeks, trimmed
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tin of harissa – hot chilli paste
• 1-2 tbsp. chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper
• For garnish:
• 2 tbsp. raisins
• 1 tbsp. flaked almonds

How to Make Chicken Couscous

• Put the stock in a large pan. Slice the vegetables and add, with a quarter of a tsp. of cumin and coriander and a little harissa, to the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30-40 mins. until tender.
• The vegetables in couscous are generally served well cooked.
• Crush the rest of the cumin and coriander seeds and mix with the fresh coriander, salt and pepper.
• Coat the chicken with this mixture and place in a steamer basket set over the vegetables. Cover and steam gently.
• Spread the couscous on a plate. Moisten with warm water and mix with our fingers to break up any lumps.
• Put the couscous in a steamer basket over the chicken and let it steam for a further 10 mins, by which time the chicken should be cooked.
• Place a pot of the vegetable soup on the table with a small bowl of harissa.
• Spread the couscous on a large platter, garnish with raisins and almonds and arrange the chicken on top.