Coconut Curried Chicken with Couscous

Because of my love for cooking, I've decided to share a new recipe with you each week on my blog. I know many of you also enjoy cooking, so feel free to try, taste, and respond with your thoughts. Or if you're someone that doesn't like to cook or is tired of making the same old thing, I would encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try these recipes. I'm going to stick with recipes that are made in under 30 minutes because time is one of two things people are short on these days...the other is money, so my recipe choices will also be budget friendly. I'll be sure to throw in some interesting food tips about the ingredients as well as healthy reminders about why these foods are good for you.

This week's featured recipe is Coconut Curried Chicken with Couscous. Aaron and I had this just last night, it's one of our favorites!!

Coconut milk and curry powder are the keys to this recipe's authenticity, and luckily they are both easily found in most supermarkets.

Ingredient List:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 medium carrots

1 medium onion

2 tsp curry powder (although I usually use a little more!)

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)

1 1/3 cups uncooked plain couscous

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro plus additional for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. For the chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces and season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat skillet over medium heat and add chicken, cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and center is no longer pink. Remove from skillet and set aside.

2. As chicken cooks, peel carrots and thinly slice on a bias. Cut onion into 1/2-inch slices. Saute carrots and onion together in skillet, stirring occasionally. Stir in curry powder, raisins, and coconut milk. Add chicken back into skillet, simmer 5 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.

3. Meanwhile, for couscous, pour broth into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add butter and couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. As couscous stands, snip the cilantro. Fluff couscous with a fork, stir in cilantro.

4. To serve, divide couscous among serving plates and spoon chicken mixture over couscous, garnish with additional cilantro...Enjoy!!

Food Tips:

Coconut milk is made by mixing the grated meat of a ripe coconut with warm water an then squeezing out the juice. Coconut milk is sold in cans. Always shake or stir the coconut milk before using. "Lite" coconut milk, made from the second squeezing of the coconut meat and water is less creamy and flavorful than regular coconut milk, but can easily be substituted in this recipe for a lower calorie version.

Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina pasta, it is a staple in many North African countries. Couscous can be found in the rice or pasta section of most grocery stores.