One pot lovers, unite! This is a new revelation for me to be honest. I…
One Pot Garlic Chicken with Israeli Couscous
Delicious and vibrant one pot garlic chicken is cooked with white wine, aromatic saffron, Israeli couscous and fresh vegetables.
You didn’t think I was going to post a turkey recipe the day before Thanksgiving, did you? Or another latke recipe the day before Hanukkah? Or maybe a Turbrisket forThanksgivikkuh? Ya..I just saw that on the L.A. Times the other day..not sure how I feel about that one!
One pot garlic chicken with Israeli couscous is more my style during this brisk time of year. And when I mean brisk…I’m talking about below 70 degrees here in Cali, which I love! walking by the beach the morning of Christmas and Thanksgiving is one of our favorite things to do. We watch the surfers anticipate waves and take cheesy photos of our towns Christmas tree next to the beach. You really can’t get any better than that!
This was another dish I made before we left for our epic trip that we are still recuperating from. I saw Anne Burrell this gorgeous one pot garlic chicken on her show and fell in love with all the flavors that were being cooked in 1 pot! A pinch of saffron does wonders in this one pot garlic chicken dish and permeates every bite. The roasted garlic is so necessary to do beforehand and makes a world of a difference to get that sweet, creamy flavor that we love so much. The chicken was flavorful and moist and it was chock-full of veggies and hearty Israeli couscous. This is the perfect dish to make for a large crown and really can be made with any leftover veggies you have leftover in the fridge.
One Pot Garlic Chicken with Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 whole garlic bulbs
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 large bunch thyme
- 1 tb cumin
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Olive oil
- 6-8 Chicken parts legs, thighs, breast
Couscous
- 2 cups Israeli couscous
- 1 large onion sliced
- 3 stalks of celery sliced
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 Tb tomato paste
- 2 zucchini diced
- 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
- Pinch of saffron
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Wrap garlic in foil and bake in 375 degrees for 45 minutes until the garlic is tender and soft. Remove when done and allow to cool.
- In a food processor, add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, thyme, cumin, red pepper, salt and olive oil. Pulse until well blended and then rub mixture all over chicken. Allow chicken to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- In a medium pot, par-cook the couscous. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Next, get a large pot or dutch oven and drizzle with olive oil. On medium heat sear chicken on all sides to brown it. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through, just seared. When done, reserve to a plate.
- Add celery and onions and saute in chicken oil. Season with salt and red pepper. Allow to cook until veggies begin to break down, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add wine and deglaze pan using a wooden spoon to scrape the chicken bits from the bottom. Add tomato paste and saffron and mix well. Add zucchini, couscous and chicken stock and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning (more salt?)
- Place chicken back in with all its juices. Chicken should not be fully covered under liquid, but slightly sticking out. Cover dutch oven with lid and place in oven at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Then remove lid and continue to bake for another 10 minutes.







This looks delicious! I want to make this and I have a few questions. Zest an entire lemon? A bunch of thyme including the stems? Can I make this and use regular couscous and ladle the broth on top of it in individual bowls after the chicken is finished? Thank you!
Hi Talia! So I have a thing for lemon zest and tend to go heavy on it, but you can add as much or little as you want! Depending how large your lemon is, it’s really about 1 Tablespoon of zest. Use a zester to take the yellow part of the lemons skin off, if not, don’t worry about it. As for the thyme, I meant just the leaves (I’ll clarify next time). I think it would be wonderful with regular couscous as well! Enjoy and let me know how it comes out!
I’ve never had Isreali couscous before, looks delicious. Thanks for the recipe, if I can find the couscous, I’ll give it a try.
It’s just little pasta really :)) Or use regular couscous..I love both! Good luck and enjoy!
Aloha Nui Samantha
Small world
Delish
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.
I was googling around looking for inspiration for the chicken and Israeli couscous that needs to be used up tonight. This dish is exactly want I had in mind. It was that pinch of saffron that sold me. Thanks GREG
Such a compliment from you! Thanks Greg!!
Ummmm, this is not one pot. Looks good though.
How much olive oil goes into the mixture that’s blended in the food processor?
Hi Leslie! Just enough until it forms a paste that can be spread onto the chicken! 1/4 cup? Hope that helps! I just let it drizzle in as the food processor is going.
What to do with the garlic after its cooked?
Hi Julie! It’s in step 2, you add the cooked garlic to the food processor with the lemon, thyme, etc. That will be the chicken coating.
Hi there: great recipe btw and I will definitely try it. Could I make it in a crock pot instead?
J
Hi there: great recipe and I will definitely try it, could I use a crock pot instead of the Dutch oven?
Thanks
J
Hi Julie! I haven’t tried it in the slow cooker, however if I did, I would probably make the couscous separately or add it in about half way through cooking so it doesn’t over cook! Let me know how it goes 🙂
How much kosher salt and olive oil do I add to the food processor? Thanks
Hi Jessica! I usually just add a good pinch, about 1/2 tsp salt and the olive oil doesn’t go in the food processor, it’s for drizzling in the pan to cook the chicken.
This is my absolute favorite recipe! I have made it several times (not always according to the recipe if I don’t have an ingredient or two) and it always turns out amazing! This is one of my go to recipes for Israeli couscous. So so good!
Yay so awesome!! It is so adaptable and I love that too!!
One of my favorite recipes. Sometimes i alter them but this one is perfect as is
Thank you!! So easy and so good!
It looks great and I will definitely try it. One note though…couscous are not Israeli. Although Israelis eat couscous, so do lots of others. It is an Arabic dish.
This recipe is great ! Ive made it exactly as written many times over the years
Thank you so so much!
In the spirit of using up everything in my pandemic pantry, including some Israeli couscous, I came across this recipe and it looks just about perfect — down to the shape of my le crueset Dutch oven, which is a different size and color but I can adapt. Thank you!
Oh yay…hope you enjoy and happy cooking!
Tanks for this great recipe which at once has become one of my absolute favourites. The dish was easy to make and tasted really wonderful.
Thank you so much Irene!