Portuguese Baked Chicken with Couscous

In Portugal now to create a dish with one of the leanest of all meats, skinless chicken breast is a superlative protein source for the health-conscious. B vitamins are a healthy bonus.

Ingredients

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chadon beni (culantro)
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
4 skinless boneless chicken breast
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 clove garlic crushed
1 cup couscous
1 ½ cup boiling water
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped dates
2 tbsp lime juice
1 lime or lemon cut into 8 wedges

Directions

Combine the cumin, chadon beni, ginger, cinnamon, pepper and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture onto the chicken.

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over moderate heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the couscous and boiling water; stir, cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Gently stir in the chopped parsley and dates.

Make 4 mounds of the couscous mixture in a baking dish and place a chicken breast half on each mound. Sprinkle the chicken with lime juice, cover with foil, then bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve each person a mound of couscous topped with a sliced chicken breast half. Garnish with lime wedges.