I love a soup that pulls its weight: tender chicken, couscous that drinks up the broth, and spices that warm you without steamrolling your taste buds. This Moroccan-leaning chicken and couscous situation is weeknight-easy and company-worthy. You brown, you simmer, you finish with herbs and lemon, and suddenly it smells like you called in a chef.
What you need
500 g chicken (legs, thighs, or a soup set); 1.5 L water; 100 g carrot (1 medium); 100 g yellow onion (1 large); 100 g celeriac; 150 g couscous; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp harissa; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 20 g fresh mint; 20 g parsley; salt to taste; a pinch of black pepper.
How to make it
- Brown the chicken. Cut it into serving pieces if needed, then sear in olive oil over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until deeply golden. Transfer the pieces to a plate.
- Build the base. In the same pot, add a little more oil if the pan looks dry. Add finely chopped onion, grated carrot, and diced celeriac. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes until soft and fragrant. Partway through, stir in the cumin, paprika, and harissa so the spices toast and bloom.
- Simmer to tenderness. Return the chicken to the pot and pour in 1.5 L hot water. Season with salt and a pinch of black pepper. Gently simmer for 30 minutes, until the meat yields easily. Lift out the chicken, let it cool briefly, pull it from the bones and skin, cut into bite-size pieces, and return it to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste, sugar, and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then keep it at a steady simmer for 5 minutes. Prefer a lighter cinnamon note? Fish out the stick now.
- Couscous time. With the soup gently bubbling, rain in the couscous in a thin stream while stirring so it stays separate. Cook for 10 minutes; the grains should plump and soak up the broth. Finely chop the mint and parsley and stir them in. Add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust the salt or spices to suit you.
- Let it settle. Take the pot off the heat and give it 10 to 15 minutes to come together into one cozy, aromatic bowl.
Serve hot with fresh bread or warm flatbreads. Simple method, big aroma, very satisfying.