E25: One-Pan Chicken & Cous Cous

You asked for a recipe, we filmed it and gave you 3 versions of it.

Ok ok ok, I caved in. We got a new recipe folks!!! And a new video!!

This space is usually reserved for deep dives, but every so often I strike gold on a recipe and the internet hypes me up enough into writing about it. Seriously I got a lot of DMs after posting this pic.

You sliding into my DMs aesthetic-photo-loving-chicken-fiends you. I loved it plz never stop. plz.

This recipe is a mash up of Kenji’s recipe and a reel I saw at like 2 am that used cous cous with chicken. An idea was born!

So we wrote out a recipe. Then we filmed it. Then we turned it into a Instagram carousel. Lol, y u make this so hard on yourself DPo???

My thinking is that everyone has their own style of ingesting information (aka learning) so I’m giving you a choose your own adventure recipe edition. Plus it was fun so we rolled with it.

Let’s dig in!!!

Option 1: “Show me, don’t tell me DPo”

We made a video filled with more motion graphics than a Pixar movie and some helpful technique tips. Watch this if you were into the wing video or just generally prefer this medium and/or pumping up our YouTube stats.

It was a fun one, even though I’m mildly awkward. It’s been a while ok?????

Big shoutout to Michelle Poreh, who shot, produced and edited this banger.

Option 2: “Give me the general gist and I can take it from here, DPo”

You want the steps, not too much of the details. I get you. I usually fall into this camp. For you, I present a carousel and well wishes on your chicken voyage:

dpo_itk

A post shared by @dpo_itk

Option 3: “Write out the recipe like a normal person, DPo”

Fine.

Serves: 3-4 (depending on hunger level) | active time: 15 min | cooking time: 35 min

For the marinade/sauce:

• 1.5 cups parsley

• 1.5 lemon juice

• 2ish cloves of garlic

• 1/4 cup olive

• salt to taste

• optional: 1 tbsp Harissa paste

For the chicken/veggies/cous-cous

• 3 legs, 3 thighs (bone-in, skin on). You could go only thighs. You could go only legs. You could go breast, skin on and bone in. You could go only fans.

• 1.5 cups pearl cous cous.

• 2.25 cups chicken stock (unsalted)

• 2-3 shallots

• 1 zucchini (optional)

• chunk of butter (optional)

Steps:

1. Pre heat oven to 425°F and pre heat cast iron over low/med heat

   1. If you don’t have a cast iron, any 8-10 inch pan will do (that’s oven safe). I’ve done this with nonstick and didn’t die. A bit of height on the rim is helpful.

2. Prep parsley marinade/sauce. Into a bowl:

   1. 1.5 cups parsley, chopped

   2. Juice of 1.5 lemons (zest optional)

   3. 2-3 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped

   4. ~1/4 cup olive oil (may be a touch less, depending on how much parsley you do)

   5. Salt to taste

   6. 1 tbsp Harissa paste optional

3. Marinate chicken with half of the parsley mix thang

   1. Add chicken into a big mixing bowl

   2. Add half of the marinade and coat the chicken.

   3. Add some extra salt if you plz

   4. If you weren’t vibing with the harissa in the sauce, you can add to the chicken directly and keep the sauce harissa free.

4. Brown the chicken on cast iron over med/high heat & prep veggies in parallel

   1. Place chicken skin SIDE down, arranging them around your pan over med/high heat

   2. While the chicken is browning, cut shallots (cut in 1/4 inch strips) and zucchini (thicker pieces preferred). See video for a better explainer lol

5. Prep veggies & cous cous

   1. First, remove the browned chicken. Into the same pan, add in the veggies.

   2. Add in a splash of your stock to deglaze (aka scrape off brown bits)

   3. To the same pan, add 1.5 cups of couscous. Let toast for a couple of minutes. Throw in some butter if you plz.

   4. After toasting, add in 2.25 cups stock and your chicken, facing skin side up. Bring to simmer.

6. Bake in 425F oven for 35-36 minutes

7. Once you take it out of the oven, drizzle that remaining sauce (the parsley mix)! Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

ENJOYYY!!

Some unsolicited reflections on recipe writing:

Not gonna lie, recipe development hasn’t been a space I’ve found too much joy in. First off, it’s hard. There’s a lot of recipes out there and trying to come up with one feels like performative originality. I’m all about the original originality, ya know?Second off, writing up how many tbsps I’ve used makes me want to gauge my eyeballs out. Dramatic DPo. But really, I find the exercise draining, even though I know it’s really helpful for people. Third off, I’m a weirdo who generally prefers digging into the internet archives and learning about some niche topic over telling you how to marinade a bird.

But every so often it’s fun to be in your kitchen in a different way.

My goal with writing about food is to open up our curiosities about it, and I do think a craveable recipe that gets you into the store and ultimately in your kitchen serves that mission.

I also think it’s fun to reimagine the idea of recipes and give people options. Yes, it’s more work for me, but while I’m still young I think it’s a worthwhile pursuit, lol.

I’m curious to hear what version tickles your pickle (pickle = brain, OK?)

Much love,

DPo