A vibrant Moroccan-inspired one-pot dish featuring tender chicken thighs, fluffy couscous, and briny olives. Turmeric adds a beautiful colour and anti-inflammatory benefits, making this a delicious and healthy midweek meal that requires minimal washing up.
skin on, bone-in
whole
zest and juice
Finely slice the two onion and three garlic clove. Chop the flat-leaf parsley. Zest and juice the lemon, keeping the zest and juice separate.
In a bowl, toss the chicken thigh with 1 tsp of the turmeric, 0.5 tbsp of the garam masala, and a pinch of salt until fully coated. Heat 1 tbsp of the sunflower oil in a large sauté pan with a lid. Fry the chicken, skin-side down, for 10 minutes until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and cook for 2 minutes before removing it from the pan and setting it aside.
Pour the remaining 1 tbsp of sunflower oil into the pan. Add the sliced onion and garlic clove and fry for 8 minutes until they are golden. Stir in the remaining 1 tsp turmeric and 0.5 tbsp garam masala, and cook for 1 minute longer.
Pour over the chicken stock and scatter in the whole green olive. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat. Sit the chicken thigh, skin-side up, back into the stock. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 40 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Boil a kettle. Lift the cooked chicken onto a plate and keep it warm. Take the pan off the heat. Stir the lemon juice and couscous into the saucy onions in the pan. Top up with enough boiling water just to cover the couscous if necessary. Place the lid back on the pan and leave to stand for 5 minutes until the couscous is cooked through.
Fluff the couscous with a fork. Stir through half of the chopped flat-leaf parsley and half of the lemon zest. Sit the chicken on top of the couscous mixture. Scatter with the remaining parsley and lemon zest before serving.
For extra flavour, marinate the chicken thighs in the spices and oil for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
If you prefer a less salty dish, use low-sodium chicken stock and rinse the olives before adding them to the pot.