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Grilled Moroccan Spiced Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Couscous and Pine Nuts

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  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 40 min
  • Servings 4
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Dress up chicken breast with flavored stuffing. A spicy and grilled dinner ready in just 40 minutes.
By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Apr 22, 2010
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Ingredients

Stuffing

  • 1/4 cup uncooked couscous
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon pine nuts
  • Dash of red pepper sauce or to taste

Chicken

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Steps

  • 1
    In small bowl, place couscous; set aside.
  • 2
    In 1-quart saucepan, heat broth, butter, coriander, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the turmeric to boiling.
  • 3
    Pour hot broth over couscous, stir well and cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes to allow liquid to be absorbed. Uncover and fluff couscous with fork. Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice, cranberries, pine nuts and pepper sauce; set aside.
  • 4
    Meanwhile, place 1 chicken breast on work surface. Notice it has a thick end and a thin end. To create a pocket for the stuffing, insert long, thin knife (a boning knife is ideal) into middle of thick end, parallel to work surface. Slide knife in until it reaches middle of chicken. Move knife up and down within the chicken to form a pocket. You want to have a smaller opening where knife entered the chicken and a larger pocket within the chicken to stuff with couscous mixture. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
  • 5
    Spray grill rack with cooking spray or brush with oil. Heat coals or gas grill for medium heat. (Check the temperature of the coals by placing your hand, palm side down, near but not touching the cooking grill rack. If you can keep your hand there for two seconds [one-thousand one, one-thousand two], the temperature is high; three seconds is medium-high; four seconds is medium; five seconds is low.)
  • 6
    Use one hand to hold chicken with thick end up. With other hand, stuff 1/4 cup of the couscous into pocket. Repeat with remaining chicken. Brush chicken with oil.
  • 7
    In small bowl, mix 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and the pepper. Sprinkle mixture evenly over chicken breasts.
  • 8
    Grill chicken covered 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until juice of chicken is no longer pink when center of thickest part is cut (170°F) and stuffing is hot. To serve, slice each breast and layer on plate so stuffing is visible.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Why it Works: Creating Couscous Although it may look like a seed or a grain, couscous is actually pasta. Unlike spaghetti or macaroni, couscous is not extruded or rolled out and cut into pieces. Instead, couscous is made by hand. Native to the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, couscous is one of the world’s first pastas. To make it, durum semolina flour (a harder, coarser wheat than used in regular wheat flour) is mixed with water and rolled between the palms of the hand. With time and a great deal of patience, small pellets of pasta are formed, steamed and finally dried. Traditionally, couscous is steamed in a large pot (called a couscousiere) above simmering stews called tagines. The boxed couscous available in stores is much easier to prepare because it has already been steamed and dried so it is ready to cook.

Nutrition

320 Calories, 15g Total Fat, 34g Protein, 11g Total Carbohydrate, 2g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
320
Calories from Fat
140
Total Fat
15g
23%
Saturated Fat
5g
25%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
100mg
34%
Sodium
660mg
28%
Potassium
330mg
9%
Total Carbohydrate
11g
4%
Dietary Fiber
1g
4%
Sugars
2g
Protein
34g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
6%
6%
Vitamin C
2%
2%
Calcium
2%
2%
Iron
10%
10%
Exchanges:
1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 0 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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