July 8, 2019

Mediterranean Chicken and Hummus Bowls

Chicken seasoned with a unique, fragrant spice blend, served over arugula, hummus, and herb couscous, then topped with a tomato salsa. These Mediterranean Chicken and Hummus Bowls are easy to make and full of delicious flavor!

Smell and Spices

In the last few posts I’ve mentioned that my sense of smell over the last few months has been pretty bad due to some ongoing sinus issues. I had sinus surgery two weeks ago, and my sense of smell is now improving. Last month, I could be sauteing beef and onion, and never smell it. Today though, I can definitely smell meat cooking. I might not smell meat cooking from across a room, but I am smelling some things, and that makes me happy. From what I understand, it’s likely to improve even more, which makes me really excited.

Recipe Testing

All that smell chat to say, as my sense of smell improves, my love of spice experimentation is returning. A few weeks ago I tried to make a beef, hummus, and couscous bowl. It was fine, but didn’t deliver the spice punch I wanted.

This week, with my better sense of smell, I changed up the spices. In addition, I changed the beef to chicken. The result: fantastic. The chicken has a unique flavor that pairs beautifully with the couscous, hummus and salsa.

Mediterranean Chicken and Hummus Bowls

These bowls are super quick and easy to make. They’re ideal for a busy weeknight when you want a homemade meal! Here are a few tips when making these Mediterranean Chicken and Hummus Bowls:

Most types of hummus will work for these bowls. My favorite is Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus.
The couscous has a light flavor so that it does not overtake the chicken. If you want a stronger flavor, you can double the herbs and lemon, but be sure to taste it with the chicken before doing so.
Let the salsa sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before you use it. This allows the flavor to develop and gives the salsa time to cool.
I prefer the couscous and chicken to be very warm and the salsa, arugula and hummus very cool when eating this.

Mediterranean Chicken and Hummus Bowls

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Course: Dinner

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Servings: bowls

Calories: 423

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Ingredients

Salsa

1 cup grape tomatoes halved or quartered
1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
2 cloves fresh, minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1/4 cup red onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil

Chicken

1 pound ground chicken
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tbsp water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tbsp olive oil

Couscous

1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup couscous uncooked
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped

Serving

Arugula about 2 cups
~1/2 cup hummus I recommend Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus

Instructions

Salsa

Stir together all ingredients for salsa until well combined. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Chicken

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together cornstarch and water. Add chicken and stir until cornstarch mixture is well incorporated into chicken. Let sit for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, coriander, all spice, cardamom, garlic, and cinnamon. After the chicken has set for 20 minutes, stir in with chicken until well incorporated.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Couscous

In a small sauce pan, bring water and salt to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, stir in couscous, and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and thyme.

Serving

Divide couscous among 5 bowls. Top each bowl with about 1/3 cup of arugula and about 3 tbsp of hummus (use desired amounts of both). Finally, divide chicken among the bowl and top each with salsa.