Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | CURRIED COUSCOUS WITH CHICKEN AND ZUCCHINI

A somewhat involved recipe, lots of prep, but worth it.

1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter (use a veggie substitute)
3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (6 oz each), cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
3/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 small zucchini (10 oz total), cut into matchsticks (2 inches long by 1/4 inch thick)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder (preferably Madras)
2 1/4 cups (18 fl oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used plain rice milk thickened with corn starch)
1 1/4 cups couscous (8 oz)
2 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes, then reserve in skillet.
Meanwhile, pat chicken slices dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saut� chicken in 2 batches, turning occasionally, until just cooked through and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per batch, transferring chicken to a plate with tongs.

Reduce heat to moderate and add 1 tablespoon butter, then cook zucchini with 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate with chicken and loosely cover with foil.

Add garlic along with half of reserved onion to larger skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup broth and bring to a boil, then boil until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until just thick enough to coat back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Set sauce aside in skillet.

Reheat remaining onion in 10-inch skillet over moderate heat, then add remaining teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon butter and remaining 1 1/4 cups broth, then bring to a boil. Stir in couscous and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, then cover tightly and let stand off heat 5 minutes. Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces and stir into couscous. Let stand, covered, 1 minute.

While couscous is standing, add chicken and zucchini to sauce along with any juices accumulated on plate and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon cilantro.

Fluff couscous with a fork to break up any lumps, then stir in remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lime wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Gourmet

June 2005

I made this recipe tonight with the above adaptations. Also, I did not have zucchini on hand so I used red bell peppers instead, which I think added a very interesting sweetness. I might do it the same way again, since I think zucchini might be a little bland in this recipe. It came out great and was pretty easy to make.

Also, for those of you who can tolerate a tiny bit of dairy, I suggest using Ghee (clarified butter) which you should be able to find at any decent store, like maybe Whole Foods. It is lower in fat, free of cholesterol, lactose, casein, trans-fatty acids, and some other bad things, and it has a much higher burning temp than regular butter or extra virgin olive oil. Butter is such a nice flavor, so if you can get away wtih sauteeing the onions in it, give a try. Of course, only do that if you are very stable and know that you can tolerate a little bit of dairy ( I don't want to confuse and newbies here -- dairy is an IBS no-no).

Enjoy!
Panda

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Amanda

I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin

Edited by AmandaPanda (05/27/05 09:27 PM)

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