Hello everyone, Jess here.
Tonight we had yet another complete transformation of our leftover roasted chicken! I’ve been making an adaptation of this recipe since first reading about it in Real Simple Magazine 10 years ago. The thought of peaches and chicken intrigued me and I loved how quickly I could whip together this tasty meal. I love that it’s 15 minutes from pan to plate. I must admit that when I was first making this dish a decade ago, my chicken was far from local and my peaches required a can opener. With a few upgrades in ingredients over the years, this recipe has become less about convenience and more about actual taste.
If you didn’t preserve any peaches over the summer, the canned version works, but trust me when I say that it’s worth the time to preserve these summer beauties for winter use such as this! If you’ve any parsley cubes in oil in the freezer, or fresh parsley available, it’s a great addition!
Gather the following ingredients:
- 1 10 ounce box of couscous (if avoiding the boxed version, about 3 cups cooked)
- about 2-3 peaches (fresh ripe or preserved)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- pinch of nutmeg
- clove of garlic
- chopped cooked leftover chicken
- Juice from 1 orange
- (optional) cube of packed frozen parsley in oil or 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
I had a zested orange leftover from some cranberry scones, and a drumstick and chicken thigh provided more than enough meat for four servings of this dish. A jar and a half of summer peaches in ultra-light syrup is in the background.
Cook your couscous as directed Meanwhile, heat olive oil and add the garlic, sautéing for a minute or so.
Add the brown sugar, vinegar and nutmeg along with the juice from your orange (mind any seeds).
Add in your peaches and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Continue to simmer things for a few minutes until the liquid reduces some.
Once the liquid reduces (I find till about half is good) add the parsley if you’re using it. Finally, add the chicken just to warm it up and allow the flavors to coat it, about 1 minute.
Plate your couscous and serve the chicken and peach sauce on top.
My husband has always loved this dish. My kids are still lukewarm on this dish, I think the thought of warm peaches with chicken along with the tangy-ness freaks them out a bit. Thankfully they love couscous, so that helps!