Chicken Breast, Roasted Beet & Pearl Couscous Salad
with Toasted Sunflower-Honey Vinaigrette
Cooking time
25 minutes
Servings
2/4
Calories
940 /serving
Is this a vinaigrette or the ambrosia of the gods? Sweetened with honey, tangy with apple cider vinegar and aromatic with sautéed shallot, it lingers enticingly with the richness of toasted sunflowers. Drizzle it over a meal-size salad, built up from nibbly pearls of jumbo couscous and curly leaf lettuce. Toss in spice-roasted beets (being careful not to stain the other elements) and top the works with pan-seared chicken breasts for suppertime sustenance.
We will send you:
- 2 Canadian-raised chicken breasts (air chilled)
- 225g Red beets
- 1 Shallot (or onion)
- 1 Head of curly leaf lettuce
- 15ml Apple cider vinegar
- 25g Sunflower seeds
- 165g Multicoloured pearl couscous
- 14g Honey
- 12g Meat & Greet spices (garlic, salt, onion, paprika, sunflower oil, oregano, thyme)
Contains: Sulphites, Wheat
You will need:
Medium pot
Medium pan
Strainer
Peeler
Sheet pan
Oil
Salt & pepper (S&P)
Parchment paper
Total Fat
39 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Sodium
1010 mg
Total Carb
96 g
Sugars
19 g
Protein
56 g
Fibre
10 g
Preparation
Roast the beets
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Peel and halve the beets; cut into ¼ inch wedges. On a lined sheet pan, toss with a drizzle of oil, ½ the spices and S&P. Roast, flipping halfway, 20 to 23 min., until tender.
Boil the couscous
Meanwhile, add the couscous to the pot of boiling water; stir gently to separate. Boil, 8 to 10 min., until tender. Drain and rinse. Transfer to a bowl and toss with a drizzle of oil to prevent clumping; season with S&P.
Sauté the sunflower seeds & shallot
Meanwhile, halve, peel and mince the shallot. In a medium pan, heat a drizzle of oil on medium-high. Add the sunflower seeds and shallot. Sauté, 3 to 4 min., until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl and season with S&P. Wipe out and reserve the pan.
Cook the chicken
Pat the chicken dry with paper towel; season with the remaining spices and S&P. In the reserved pan, heat a drizzle of oil on medium-high. Add the chicken* and cook, partially covered, 6 to 8 min. per side, until cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 min. before slicing against the grain.
Mise en place & make the vinaigrette
Meanwhile, roughly chop the lettuce. To the bowl of sunflower seeds and shallot, add the vinegar, honey, 3 tbsp oil (double for 4 portions) and S&P; toss well.
Make the salad & serve
To the bowl of vinaigrette, add the lettuce and couscous; toss well. Add the beets; toss gently. Divide the salad between your bowls. Top with the chicken. Bon appétit!
*Health Canada recommends cooking poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 74°C.
