Ingredients
- 2 whole garlic bulbs
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 large bunch thyme, leaves only
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 to 10 parts
Couscous:
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups medium-size Israeli couscous
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 ribs celery, sliced thin on the bias
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Large pinch saffron
- 2 zucchini, green part only, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 3 scallions, white and green, sliced thinly on the bias
Directions
Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the garlic bulbs in a small tin and roast them until they are soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool.
When the garlic bulbs are cool, slice the tops off and squeeze out the roasted garlic. Add the garlic to a food processor or a bowl, along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, cumin, crushed red pepper and salt, to taste. Add a little olive oil and puree or mash into a loose paste. Massage the mixture all over the chicken pieces and let sit for at least 1 hour.
Couscous:
Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil, over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook it until it's about 2/3 of the way cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and reserve.
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides. Remove it to a plate, drain the fat and add the onions and celery. Season with salt, to taste, and the crushed red pepper. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up all the crud on the bottom of the pan and cook the onions and celery for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the saffron, zucchini, cooked couscous, and chicken stock. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Transfer the mix to an ovenproof dish. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, in the couscous and cover with foil. Add some more chicken stock to keep everything nice and moist. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cover with foil. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, covered, then remove the foil and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and top with scallions before serving.
1 Video | Photo: Garlic Chicken in Casserole with Israeli Couscous Recipe

















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By micheleriz
on January 15, 2012
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Delicious! My Israeli friend took one bite and said - "Tt tastes like home!" She also said tumeric is a good substitution for saffron. I read the other reviews and incorporated several suggestions. You can cut down the work by making the chicken the day before and chilling over night. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, as it was a dinner party and I didn't want guests dealing with bones or skin. This worked beautifully. I also used the same roasting pan to saute chicken & vegetables to incorporate all that brown goodness. Because this was a dinner party I sauted chicken until pretty cooked, then sauted the vegetables the same, added all the ingredients to the same roasting pan and put it in the refrigerator until 45 minutes before I wanted to serve the dish. Then preheated the oven to 375 and baked for 30 minutes. OUTSTANDING! Everyone had seconds until all the chicken was gone! Anne - you are Awesome!
By bellybean1_7264198
las vegas, nv
on January 07, 2012
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This was good but considering you have to pay a fortune for saffron and i couldn't see it(no real orange color or taste it I would substitute tumeric instead. I would make this again with that change and I would add more salt. I did however use regular couscous as I don't like israeli. I love anne and appreciate all her recipes. Thanks Anne.
By Novadebate
on December 27, 2011
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Good but not fantastic. Made it with quinoa instead of couscous. Freezes well, though.
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