Healthy Chicken and Couscous

I'm surprised I didn't open this blog with this meal. It's a recipe that brings back lots of memories--I found the original on the inside of a couscous box when we lived in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. David traveled a lot for work back then, which meant this soon-to-be bride had a lot of Food Network time on her hands. Couscous was all the rage it seemed that year, so I grabbed a box when I hit up Albertson's and planned a "fancy" dinner for us. I love thinking back to this time in our lives--learning how to live together, learning how to live away from our families, and learning how to become adults (still sorta working on that last one...).

The recipe has morphed substantially over time, and has turned into one of my go-tos. I honestly ALWAYS have the ingredients on hand and love knowing a delicious, healthy meal is less than 30 minutes away....and only requires ONE saute pan! Now that I think about it, it's also pretty baby girl friendly before the tomatoes hit the pan (with a little whirl in the Magic Bullet of course). Enjoy :)

Healthy Chicken and Couscous

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 ¼ tspn dried basil (fresh ok here too! Use more though…)
2 tbsp EVOO ½ cup pine nuts
2-3 chicken breasts, diced in bite sized pieces
1 box whole wheat couscous (either parmesan or roasted garlic flavor)
1 ¼ cup chicken stock/broth
1 clamshell spinach, chopped coarsely (I stick my kitchen shears right in the box and chop away)
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with foil (I’m a lazy cook!), toss tomatoes with 1 tbsp EVOO, pepper, salt, and ¼ tspn basil. I like to make sure all tomatoes are cut side up before putting the pan in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, lightly toast pine nuts in saute pan, stirring often (pick a big pan that you can use for everything! Less dishes = happier mama!) until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove pine nuts from pan and set aside.

3. Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp EVOO in the same saute pan (yay!). Add chicken to pan, and cook through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

4. Add chicken broth, spinach, seasoning packet from couscous, and 1 tspn dried basil to the SAME saute pan, bring to a boil. Add in couscous, stirring to mix. Add chicken on top on the mixture, place lid on pan, and remove from heat. Let sit for five minutes.

5. Remove lid and stir in tomatoes and pine nuts. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to taste. Enjoy!