One Pan Mediterranean Chicken & Israeli Couscous

At a glance

What stands out: Mediterranean chicken and Israeli couscous is a complete meal made in one pan, and you can have this meal on the table in less than 45 minutes. It’s fresh, flavorful, and rich!

How long it takes: 38 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet with lid
Servings: 4

We are excited to share this recipe with you guys! We feel like we've been saying that about a lot of our recipes lately, like the vegan tacos We couldn’t stop talking about, but this is another great one.

Don’t get us wrong, we're always excited to share recipes but some are just a little more exciting than others. We use our recipes for Instant Pot boiled eggs and from-scratch taco seasoning (and countless other basic recipes) ALL the time, but they’re just not quite as fun as recipes like this Mediterranean chicken dish.

sarah Said:

“we made this for our husband … and he was THRILLED!! He told us midway through the meal, “we think this is our new favorite food!”
It was a real hit!”

See More Reader Reviews

Mediterranean Chicken and Couscous

So flavorful! Savory onions, peppers, and garlic lay the foundation for this recipe. Capers are dispersed through the couscous to give you a salty, briny bite every now and then. (PS: You could also use olives if you’re a fan!). Dried and fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice, and tangy feta cheese add to the excitement, too.

One pan. There isn’t a type of recipe that we enjoy creating more than a one pan meal recipe. Whether it be Instant Pot, sheet pan, one pot pastas, one pan skillet meals, or slow cooker recipes, we love a good recipe that doesn’t make a lot of dishes dirty. What can we say? We don’t like doing dishes, and we don’t know many people who do.

Reliable for weeknights. This is the type of recipe that we like for family dinners on a Tuesday or Wednesday (or any day) evening, when we're tired and worn out. Because we know you guys have the same kind of nights. This meal is all-in-one, with protein, vegetables, and pasta. You won’t need to prep sides to serve (unless you’re feeling extra motivated).

What is Israeli Couscous?

Israeli couscous might be a new ingredient for some of you. You may also find it labeled or referred to as “pearl couscous.” It’s basically a larger size of the couscous you may be more familiar with. It’s a variety of pasta and it’s pretty fun to eat!

How it comes together

Sauté the chicken. Start by browning the chicken nicely to lock in that great flavor and to make the dish more visually appealing.

Add the vegetables. In the same skillet, sauté onions, bell peppers, and garlic, seasoned with dried thyme and oregano.

Cook couscous. Add the Israeli couscous, capers, and flavorful chicken broth to the skillet; cover and simmer until done. Since couscous is a small pasta, it cooks quickly.

Add toppings. We go crazy with toppings on this recipe and add fresh diced tomatoes, salty crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts (read how to toast pine nuts), and fresh parsley. We wouldn’t recommend skipping any of them, but as always (almost always), toppings are sorta-kinda-if-you-have-to optional.

Rather have a salad? Try our Israeli couscous salad with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella or this barley salad with tomatoes, cucumber, and parsley. A Greek chopped salad has many of the same elements, too.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #52. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 25 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 (6 ounces each) boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ½ red onion, cut into 1 -inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced (more if desired)
• 1 cup uncooked Israeli couscous
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained (or Kalamata olives)
• 2 cups chicken broth (unsalted or low salt preferred)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
• ¾ cup diced fresh tomatoes
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Method

1. In a large, deep skillet (with a cover available for later), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken, sprinkle with pepper and ½ teaspoon salt; brown for 4 minutes on each side. It will not be cooked through.
2. Push chicken to the side, reduce heat to medium, and add chopped onion and bell pepper. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt, oregano, and thyme. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring, about 1 minute.
4. Remove chicken from pan and place on a plate (this will prevent the couscous from getting stuck on top of the chicken when you pour it in.)
5. Add couscous, capers, and broth. Stir to combine and increase heat to medium-high. Make sure that the couscous is completely submerged in chicken broth. Bring to boil, nestle chicken into couscous mixture, and cover.
6. Reduce heat to medium (should be a low boil) and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until couscous is tender and chicken is cooked through (165ºF on an instant read thermometer).
7. Pour lemon juice over chicken and couscous, stir.
8. Serve garnished with tomatoes, feta, pine nuts, and parsley.

Notes

Chicken: If the chicken breasts are unevenly sized, you may want to trim them to roughly the same size, so they get done at the same time.

Toppings: Topping measurements are flexible. You can add as many or as few toppings as you’d like. We like to use block feta cheese (not the kind you buy already crumbled) for this recipe and crumble it myself. It’s much creamier and more flavorful.