Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Salad with Pearl Couscous Salad
I was going to make soup. But the weather has been a little hot lately, with triple digit temperatures reminiscent of summer, not October. My plan was to make a harvest chicken soup, taking advantage of the peppers and tomatoes that are still going strong in our California garden. Instead, and because the thought of a simmering pot of hot soup in the kitchen is unbearable, I re-configured the ingredients, threading them on skewers and cooking them on the grill. A pearl couscous salad was the perfect accompaniment, served at room temperature with flecks of chiles and fresh herbs from the garden.
Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Salad with Pearl Couscous
Serves 4
Marinade:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Sriracha or hot sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large chicken breasts, without skin, 6 to 8 ounces each, cut in 1-inch pieces
Pre-soaked bamboo skewers
2 large sweet red and/or yellow peppers, stemmed, seeded, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large chipotle pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion, cut in 1 inch pieces
Pearl Couscous Salad
Extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon halves
Fresh Italian parsley sprigs
Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Place chicken in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 3 to 4 hours (or overnight), turning once or twice.
Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Thread chicken on skewers alternating with peppers and onions. Grill over direct medium heat, turning once, until browned and chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and slide chicken and vegetables off of skewers. To serve, spoon Pearl Couscous salad onto serving plates. Top with chicken and vegetables. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little fresh squeezed lemon juice. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Perfect example of going with the flow… 🙂
I love pearl couscous, and today is also quite hot here, but tomorrow things will take a deep turn to the opposite side.
I particularly love your final squieeze of lemon juice, I tend to do that with so many recipes, and it is always a great addition
A magnificent dish! I like everything about it. Pearl couscous is wonderfully versatile and delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Very adaptive for the heat – it has been a while since I had the courage to turn on my oven. Love the pearl couscous!
That is thinking fast on your feet. The salad looks and sounds great. I’m looking forward to the soup recipe when you get your fall weather.
this is the kid of salad i can eat for days, those veges must taste fantastic after the grilling.. fancy you guys being so hot over there now! have a lovely evening.. c
It’s the perfect adjustment I think, because you’ve still got the spices to add some Autumn flavor! xx
A light and delicious dish perfect for the warm weather. Beautiful colors too!
We had four glorious days of heat and now we are back to living under a shroud of fog! A great recipe, shock full of flavor and simple to prepare!
What a FABULOUS idea for reconfiguring a recipe for the weather. I’m pinning this to make this weekend. It looks just perfect!!
This is lovely. And of course, having experienced that same heat wave, I can relate. Unfortunately, I had to keep the oven on all day one of those days, and it was ridiculous. How are you, Lynda?
I made this tonight for dinner without the chicken and it was fantastic!! I subbed squash in for the chicken, tossed it all in your fabulous marinade and roasted them in the oven, and put it all over your Pearl Couscous Salad. Such a winner, Lynda! I’ll be making this again and again through the fall 🙂
Love the BIG chunks of grilled veggies, so colorful.