Salad version of the chicken tagine

I loved the chicken tagine so much that I decided to make a salad version of it for my lunch box!

I am on the never ending quest to find interesting things for lunch, and having spent most of my school years with sandwiches (plain tuna mayonnaise please, no butter) in my Forever Friends packed lunch box I have somewhat gone off of them- there are some very nice ones out there and I certainly wouldn’t say no to an M&S special occasionally- but sandwiches are fairly low down my list of preferred lunch time meals.

The result is that I usually end up carting in leftovers to work from dinner the night before, or whip up a salad from whatever’s hanging about in the fridge. I also resent having to spend ages of an evening making things for lunch the next day and so tend to make food in batches. It does mean that I end up eating the same thing two or three days in a row, but if it’s tasty enough this can be a bonus!

With this in mind I’ve given quantities which will make approximately three servings. I keep those little plastic tubs that Chinese takeaways come in, dishwasher them then use them to carry food for lunch, so it will make you about three of those.

There’s also no garlic in this recipe as I didn’t want to breathe it all over my colleagues but, as always, the addition is your choice! Just put a finely chopped clove in at the roasting phase should the urge take you. Some olives would also be nice.

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken thighs, skin on or off- whatever you prefer
• 1 bulb fennel
• 2 small onions
• 2 preserved lemons (deseeded and finely chopped)
• Small bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 200gms couscous
• 250ml chicken stock at boiling temperature

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175-200 degrees C depending on the ferocity of your particular model.
2. Chop the fennel bulb in to eights lengthways then in to bite size chunks if any pieces are too large. Peel and quarter the onions and place all the veg in to a roasting tin.
3. Place the chicken thighs on top, season well and drizzle with a little olive oil.
4. Bake in the oven for 40-45mins or until the juices run clear when you pierce the chicken. Leave to cool completely (you can leave it overnight if this helps and assemble the salad the next morning, just make sure to cover the food with a clean cloth while its cooling)
5. Put the couscous in to a bowl, pour over the boiling chicken stock and cover with some clingfilm or a plate for 10 mins. Then give the couscous a stir to fluff it up and leave to get cold.
6. Mix the fennel, onions, lemons and coriander in to the couscous. Pull all the meat from the chicken thighs in to bite sized pieces and add in.
7. Have a taste, season if necessary and drizzle over the remainder of the oil. Put in to pots and refrigerate until required (mine kept in the fridge for four days)