Metric avoids regional spoon ambiguity. US uses 5 mL tsp, 15 mL tbsp and 240 mL cup. Small masses stay in grams unless a verified recipe conversion exists. More on measurements
50 ml extra-virgin olive oil (45 g)
800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large brown onion, sliced (200 g)
2 large red capsicums, sliced (400 g)
3 garlic cloves, sliced (15 g)
4 g smoked paprika
400 g canned no-added-salt tomatoes
100 ml reduced-salt chicken stock (100 g)
2 g iodised table salt, plus more to taste
260 g wholemeal couscous (dry)
375 ml boiling water (375 g)
10 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
180 g Greek yoghurt, to serve
Ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Warm two-thirds of the oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat and colour the chicken thighs for 3 minutes a side. You want flavour, not a crust. Set them aside.
Add the remaining oil, then the onion and capsicum, and cook 10 minutes over medium heat until both have softened and the capsicum has lost its spring.
Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, stock and salt and crush the whole tomatoes against the pan.
Return the chicken, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 40-45 minutes, turning once, until it is at least 75C/167F and pulls into threads under a fork.
Lift the thighs out, shred them with two forks and return them to the pan. If the sauce looks thin, reduce it for 5 minutes uncovered, but keep it soupy: this sauce is what carries the couscous.
Put the couscous in a bowl with the boiling water, cover with a plate and leave 8 minutes, then fork through. It finishes at about 720 g.
Taste the sauce and adjust the salt. Serve the chicken over the couscous with plenty of sauce, a spoonful of yoghurt on each plate and the parsley.
Safety and storage
Cook to
75°C / 167°F in the centre (poultry, including minced poultry)
Keeps
2 days refrigerated below 5°C
Reheat to
steaming hot, at least 75°C
The Food Safety Information Council table gives poultry, whole or minced, as 75°C in the centre. Colour and clear juices are not a reliable test. Check the thickest part with a thermometer.
Cooked rice and pasta keep two days rather than three, so this dish takes the shorter time. Cool it fast: split large amounts into shallow containers as soon as it stops steaming, and have it in the fridge within two hours. Reheat once only, until steaming hot right through, at least 75°C in the centre.
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Trade-offs
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Trade-offs
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Chicken thighs braised with capsicum and tomato until they shred under a fork, spooned with all their sauce over soft couscous, with yoghurt.
Ingredients
50 ml extra-virgin olive oil (45 g)
800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large brown onion, sliced (200 g)
2 large red capsicums, sliced (400 g)
3 garlic cloves, sliced (15 g)
4 g smoked paprika
400 g canned no-added-salt tomatoes
100 ml reduced-salt chicken stock (100 g)
2 g iodised table salt, plus more to taste
260 g wholemeal couscous (dry)
375 ml boiling water (375 g)
10 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
180 g Greek yoghurt, to serve
Ground black pepper, to taste
Approximate per serving
2828 kJ / 675.9 kcal · protein 52.4 g · carbohydrate 61.3 g · fibre 7.1 g · fat 22.5 g · sodium 433.7 mg
Method
Warm two-thirds of the oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat and colour the chicken thighs for 3 minutes a side. You want flavour, not a crust. Set them aside.
Add the remaining oil, then the onion and capsicum, and cook 10 minutes over medium heat until both have softened and the capsicum has lost its spring.
Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, stock and salt and crush the whole tomatoes against the pan.
Return the chicken, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 40-45 minutes, turning once, until it is at least 75C/167F and pulls into threads under a fork.
Lift the thighs out, shred them with two forks and return them to the pan. If the sauce looks thin, reduce it for 5 minutes uncovered, but keep it soupy: this sauce is what carries the couscous.
Put the couscous in a bowl with the boiling water, cover with a plate and leave 8 minutes, then fork through. It finishes at about 720 g.
Taste the sauce and adjust the salt. Serve the chicken over the couscous with plenty of sauce, a spoonful of yoghurt on each plate and the parsley.
Safety and storage
Cook to
75°C / 167°F in the centre (poultry, including minced poultry)
Keeps
2 days refrigerated below 5°C
Reheat to
steaming hot, at least 75°C
The Food Safety Information Council table gives poultry, whole or minced, as 75°C in the centre. Colour and clear juices are not a reliable test. Check the thickest part with a thermometer.
Cooked rice and pasta keep two days rather than three, so this dish takes the shorter time. Cool it fast: split large amounts into shallow containers as soon as it stops steaming, and have it in the fridge within two hours. Reheat once only, until steaming hot right through, at least 75°C in the centre.
Real meals made mechanically easier to eat when chewing hurts. That is a job about texture and chewing rather than swallowing (dysphagia) guidance, and it is not a treatment for TMD itself.
