Moroccan-style chicken with vegetable couscous

If you like a bit of ‘punch’ to your food you’ll love Moroccan-style Chicken with Vegetable Couscous from the Hairy Dieters. The harissa paste, spices, honey and yoghurt really bring it to life, and accompanied by the vegetables and couscous makes for a delicious lunch or Spring evening meal.

The calorie count for this meal is just 305 per portion and it really fills you up too. Do take the time to marinate the chicken in the fridge (the book says 30 minutes, but try and leave it for longer if you can) and you’ll be delighted with the end result.

Recipe: Moroccan-style chicken with vegetable couscous

Calories: 305 calories per portion

Serves: 6

Book: Hairy Dieters – Eat for Life

Prep time: Approx 20 minutes

Cooking time: Approx 20 minutes

Ingredients: 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each about 150g), 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 orange or green pepper, 2 medium red onions, 2 medium courgettes, oil for spraying, 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, 200g couscous, 15g bunch of fresh coriander (leaves chopped, plus extra to garnish), 6 heaped tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt, lemon wedges to serve, flaked sea salt, ground black pepper

Marinade: 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp harissa paste, 1 tbsp runny honey, 2 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt, 2 garlic cloves (crushed), 1 tsp flaked sea salt, ground black pepper

Cost per portion: Approx £1.73

Method: To make the marinade, mix the cumin, coriander, harissa, honey, yoghurt, garlic, salt and lots of black pepper in a large bowl. Using a sharp knife, slash each chicken breast diagonally 3 times. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and coat them well with the marinade, then cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Deseed the peppers and cut them into 3cm chunks. Cut the onions into 12 wedges. Trim the courgettes and cut them diagonally into 1.5cm slices. Put the vegetables in a bowl and spritz with the oil, then toss them with the chilli flakes, a pinch of sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees / Fan 180 degrees / Gas 6. Place the chicken breasts on a baking tray, slashed-side up. Bake them in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through – there should be no pinkness remaining.

When the chicken is cooking, heat a large non-stick frying pan or work and add the vegetables. Fry them over a medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until they are tender and lightly browned, stirring regularly.

Just before the vegetables and chicken are ready, put the couscous in your largest bowl and pour over the hot chicken stock. Cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Scatter the coriander over the couscous and toss together with a couple of forks. Add the hot vegetables and mix thoroughly.

Divide the vegetable couscous between 6 warmed plates and add the chicken. Drizzle over any juices. Garnish with coriander sprigs and serve with yoghurt and lemon wedges for squeezing.