Greek chickpea and couscous bowls

Name: Greek chickpea and couscous bowls
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: ½ cup pearl couscous; 1 × 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed dry; 2 chicken breasts; 1 zucchini, cut into half-inch rounds; 4 oz grape tomatoes, halved; 1 Persian cucumber, halved and thinly sliced; 1 lemon, quartered; 2 cloves garlic, one chopped and one grated to a paste; 1 ½ oz feta, crumbled; ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt; ¼ cucumber, coarsely grated and squeezed dry, for the tzatziki; ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; olive oil, salt, pepper

Chickpeas fried hard until they pop, which is the point and also the hazard.

At a Glance

Time

45 min

Serves

Story

Chickpeas out of a can hold more water than they look like they do, and wet chickpeas steam instead of browning. Drain them, tip them onto a tea towel and roll them about until they squeak. Then they crisp in five minutes rather than twelve, and they pop rather less alarmingly.

Ingredients

½ cup pearl couscous
1 × 15 oz can chickpeasdrained and rinsed dry
2 chicken breasts
1 zucchinicut into half-inch rounds
4 oz grape tomatoeshalved
1 Persian cucumberhalved and thinly sliced
1 lemonquartered
2 cloves garlicone chopped and one grated to a paste
1 ½ oz fetacrumbled
½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
¼ cucumbercoarsely grated and squeezed dry, for the tzatziki
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
olive oilsalt, pepper

Method

The tzatziki takes two minutes and is worth making rather than buying: grated cucumber squeezed properly dry, yogurt, the grated garlic clove and a squeeze of lemon.

Salted water on to boil. Make the tzatziki and put it in the fridge.
Marinate the tomatoes and sliced cucumber with the juice of two lemon wedges, half the garlic paste and a slug of olive oil. Season. Leave 10 minutes.
Couscous into the water, 5 to 7 minutes to tender. Drain and return to the pot.
Dry the chickpeas as above. Fry in a good film of olive oil over medium high, 5 to 7 minutes, mostly undisturbed. They will pop, so a lid held loosely over the pan is not cowardice. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes, 2 to 3 minutes more. Off the heat, the juice of the remaining wedges. Tip out and cover.
Same pan, the zucchini rounds, 3 to 4 minutes a side until browned. Out and covered.
Pat the chicken dry, season both sides, and cook 6 to 9 minutes a side until 165°F. Rest, then slice across.
Feta and the marinated vegetables with all their liquid into the couscous. Bowls, then zucchini, chickpeas, chicken and a proper spoonful of tzatziki.