🍅 Tangy Chicken, Tomato and Couscous Salad

Warm spiced couscous with savory chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, sweet dried fruit, capers, and a cool crown of marinated cherry tomatoes. Original recipe by Ashley Lonsdale for NYT Cooking

← Back to Recipes
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings4–6

For the Marinated Tomatoes

  • 1½ pounds cherry tomatoes, halved (about 4 cups)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil reserved from the sun-dried tomato jar

For the Chicken and Couscous

  • 2 cups cooked chicken, finely chopped (about 8 ounces)
  • 8 oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, or extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup roughly chopped dried fruit, such as pitted prunes, raisins, apricots, or dates
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cups water
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1½ cups couscous
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 2–3 teaspoons caper brine

Instructions

1
In a medium bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with salt, pepper, parsley, and 2 tablespoons of the oil reserved from the sun-dried tomato jar. Set aside to marinate.
2
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, dried fruit, cumin, and ginger.
3
Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is sizzling and fragrant.
4
Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil over high heat, and season the liquid with salt to taste.
5
Stir in the couscous, cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes, until the liquid is fully absorbed.
6
Fluff the couscous and chicken with a fork. Stir in the lemon juice, capers, and caper brine.
7
Spoon the warm couscous and chicken onto a platter and top with the marinated cherry tomatoes.

💡 Cook's Tips

  • Use rotisserie chicken: It makes this a fast weeknight meal and seasons the couscous as it heats in the cooking liquid.
  • Choose your dried fruit: Prunes give a tagine-like sweetness, but raisins, apricots, or dates also work well.
  • Reserve the tomato oil: Oil from the sun-dried tomato jar carries extra flavor into both the couscous and fresh tomatoes.
  • Rest covered: Keep the saucepan tightly covered for the full 5 minutes so the couscous hydrates evenly.
  • Contrast matters: Add the cool marinated tomatoes only after plating the warm couscous.
Salad
Chicken
Moroccan-Inspired