Israeli Couscous Salad with Tomatoes and Chicken

There is a special place in my heart for recipes I can throw together (especially on a busy weeknight) while having a running conversation with at least one boy (but often two). This means the recipe has to be A) fairly easy and straightforward to follow; B) be quick and can be deserted to just sit for minutes at a time when my hands are needed elsewhere; and C) be made with ingredients I usually have on hand.

This is such a recipe. This is a play on a recipe I shared before but incorporates a rotisserie chicken (which you can leave out, or replace with with chunks of cheese, if you like), or any leftover roasted chicken. I'm a huge fan of the tomatoes; salting tomatoes and letting them sit for a while to get all juicy and tasty ... wow, does that add a lot of extra flavor to a dish.

Note: For a slightly less pungent garlic bite, marinate the garlic in the lemon juice for 5 to 10 minutes and then fish out and discard the garlic bits, and continue with the dressing.

Israeli Couscous Salad with Tomatoes and Chicken

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Salad:

1 kg plum tomatoes, cut into 8ths

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped herbs (can include cilantro, mint, parsley, basil, dill, etc)

Couscous:

2 tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove , minced

½ small onion , finely chopped

375 g Israeli couscous (can be half whole wheat variety)

2 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 1/2 cup water

1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded

Lemon Dressing:

1 T lemon zest

3 T lemon juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper

Directions

Salad: In a large bowl, toss the chopped tomatoes generously with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside. Can be done several hours before mixing everything together.

When ready to assemble, add chopped herbs to bowl with tomatoes.

Couscous:

Heat oil in a large saucepan or small pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, saute until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add couscous and stir, cooking for 1 minute. Add broth and water, place the lid on and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook for 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is cooked through but still firm. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add to tomatoes and herbs in the large bowl; toss gently to combine. Add shredded chicken to the bowl, and toss again.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar and stir or shake well. Pour over the salad ingredients and toss. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!