Ground chicken, vegetables, and feta cheese tossed together with pearl couscous in a homemade vinaigrette. This Chicken and Pearl Couscous Salad is a quick, healthier dinner that is full of flavor!
Dinner Salads
During the summer my husband grills a lot, and I make a lot of dessert. Our weekends are generally filled with delicious, hearty food. So, when Monday rolls around I’m always ready for something a little lighter. And something that doesn’t take too long to make.
I could probably write a month-long series with variations of salads that we’ve put together this summer, but I’m pretty sure that would get old. So I’ll just share this one for now.
Chicken and Pearl Couscous Salad
When it comes to salad, I love a good bed of greens. But if I’m wanting the salad for dinner (not with dinner), I prefer something a bit more filling. So, I tend to use a lot of couscous or grains.
Pearl Couscous
For this salad I used Pearl Couscous. Sometimes it’s also called Israeli Couscous.
The individual pieces are much larger than the more common boxed types of couscous. They soak up dressing and add a nice bulk to the salad.
Vegetables
For this salad I used the following vegetables:
- Sautéed red onion
- Cucumber
- Grape tomatoes
If you want more vegetables, you could easily add others to make it perfect for you. I personally don’t care for olives, but it seems like they might be a nice addition for many people!
Chicken
Ground chicken can sometimes get a little dry when cooking; here is how I (try) to prevent that:
- Mix together 1 tablespoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
- Massage the above mixture in with your ground chicken
- Let it sit for about 15 minutes
This helps keeps more moisture in the chicken while it’s cooking.
Homemade Salad Dressing
When making a salad, I like to make my own dressing to give the exact flavor I’m in the mood for. For the dressing I used:
- Olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Dried parsley
- Dried basil
- Dried marjoram
- Ground thyme
- Honey
It’s pretty much my version of a homemade Italian dressing. If you’re in a pinch for time and don’t want to make the dressing yourself, you can substitute 1/3 cup of store-bought Italian style dressing.
This salad is super quick and easy to put together. It makes for a delicious and healthy weeknight meal!
Chicken and Pearl Couscous Salad
Ingredients
Chicken and Onion
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/2 medium red onion diced
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/8 teaspoon dried ground thyme
Assembly
- 1 cup Pearl Couscous cooked according to package instructions
- 4 ounces Feta cheese crumbles
- 1 medium cucumber cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
Instructions
Chicken and Onion
- In a small bowl, stir together water and cornstarch until smooth. Add chicken, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined. Let sit for 10 minutes before cooking.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced red onion. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove onion and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to skillet. Add chicken. Sauté until cooked through.
Dressing
- In a small jar with lid, add all of the dressing ingredients. Seal with lid and shake until well combined.
Assembly
- In a large bowl, stir together couscous with the cooked chicken and onion. Add dressing and stir until well combined.
- Toss in feta, cucumber, and tomatoes.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
If you enjoyed this Chicken and Pearl Couscous Salad, you might also enjoy these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Hummus Vegetable Salad
Farro Arugula Salad
Fresh Herb and Vegetable Couscous Salad
Chicken and Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Tahini Sauce
Chicken and Vegetable Farro Salad
Links to items used to make this recipe:
I’ve made this chicken and pearl couscous salad both with and without chicken, depending on whether or not I’m serving as a main dish or a side. Love it both ways.
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!! Thank you for sharing!