Recipe: Mexican Chicken & Couscous

Finding healthy recipes that also taste good can sometimes be a challenge. But I recently made this dish and it was delicious -- if I do say so myself.

Hubby even gave it two thumbs up, which is saying a lot. Normally, when I try new healthier meals, he's, well, let's say, less than enthused. But this dish got praise.

It is a light, high protein and grain meal. If you don't normally use couscous, give it a try. Its flavor tends to be bland, which is good because it takes on the flavor of whatever else you pair it with.

Ingredients:

4-5 thin cut chicken breasts
2 cups couscous cooked according to directions but swap water for low sodium chicken broth

Marinade:
12 oz fresh salsa (not from jar)
1/2 lime, juice
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs fresh cilantro
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 clove garlic chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

Topping:
3/4 cup can black beans drained & rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn, cooked
1/2 cup diced red onion, sautéed in olive oil
10-12 grape tomatoes cut into quarters 
3 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbs of salsa

Directions:
Place ingredients for marinade in food processor and mix well, leaving mixture a little chunky. Place chicken and marinade in a casserole dish making sure chicken is completely covered. Set covered in refrigerator for 3 hours.

After the 3 hours remove from refrigerator and let sit while you pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. (Allowing dish to sit room temp for a little will help prevent dish from breaking when you put in oven.) Once oven is ready and dish is no longer ice cold, cook in oven for 1 hour.

In meantime, prepare couscous and topping. Mix all ingredients for topping in medium bowl and set aside. When chicken is done, let it sit in dish for 10 min at least before plating.

To plate: put 1/2 cup couscous on plate. Place piece of chicken on top. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of remaining marinade from dish over chicken. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of the topping over chicken. Add a little extra cilantro over top if you wish.

Enjoy!