Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you decide to cook for lunch or dinner as long as it’s quick, reasonably healthy, and tastes great. This curried chicken and green beans couscous ticks all those boxes—fast to prepare, full of flavour, and satisfying.
After a long day at work you might be tempted to order a takeaway, but opening the fridge and quickly assembling a simple meal can be just as rewarding. With a few basic ingredients you can make a healthy dish like this curried chicken couscous—delicious, fresh, and ready in no time.
If your chicken breast is still frozen, don’t panic. I’ve done this many times: take it out and either thaw quickly or leave it out for 15–20 minutes. That’s usually enough to make it easy to slice and cook. I often portion my chicken before freezing so I only defrost what I need. A quick cold-water bath for a few minutes helps speed up thawing while you wash and chop the vegetables. By the time you finish prepping, the chicken will usually be ready to cut into strips or cubes for the recipe.
Thawing chicken too slowly at room temperature is not recommended for food-safety reasons, so use a quick method when possible.
This recipe is fuss-free and versatile—perfect for busy weeknights.
Other chicken recipes you may like:
- Easiest chicken thighs recipe with broccoli salad
- Easy baked chicken Parmesan
- Teriyaki chicken egg fried rice with vegetables
- One-pot chicken, chorizo and nduja bake
- Skillet chicken and olive pesto sauce bake
Here’s the curried chicken and green beans couscous—simple, healthy, and full of flavour.
Curried chicken and beans couscous
Equipment
- Pan
- Wooden spoon
- Pot (for boiling water to make couscous)
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 500 g chicken breast
- 200 g wholemeal couscous
- 300 g green beans
- ½ head cauliflower, sliced into tiny florets
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- ½ small leek, sliced
- 150 g cherry tomatoes
- 10 sprigs parsley (or coriander), finely chopped
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 pinch mixed seeds (cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the couscous. Place dry couscous in a bowl, season with a pinch of salt and pepper (and 1 tsp Italian herbs if you like). Pour boiling water about 2 cm above the couscous level, cover immediately with a lid or plate, and let rest for 20–25 minutes undisturbed until fluffy.
- Heat a deeper frying pan and add the coconut oil. Add the chicken with a little salt and cook for 2 minutes until the outside is sealed. Add the chopped onion, mixed seeds, and half the garlic, then add the green beans broken into chunky pieces (about 2 cm long). Cover and cook for 5–7 minutes.
- Stir in the curry powder, then add the cauliflower florets, leek, and cherry tomatoes. Cook covered or uncovered for another 5–7 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- In the last minute of cooking, add the remaining garlic. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley or coriander.
- Fluff the couscous and mix it into the chicken and vegetables until evenly combined.
- Serve hot. Leftovers store well and make a tasty lunch the next day.
Notes
If you prefer less-cooked onion, add it later. Swap the curry powder for another spice blend such as cajun or smoked paprika to change the flavour profile. If you want a creamier dish, add coconut milk at the start of cooking—but only if there is little liquid from the meat and vegetables, otherwise the dish can become soggy.
Use any vegetables you like: mushrooms, peas, carrots, peppers, asparagus, pumpkin or butternut squash all work well. Feel free to experiment with combinations you enjoy.
