Nadiya Hussain’s Grapefruit Chicken Stew with Couscous
Succulent, creamy and with the perfect amount of acidity, this warming and substantial chicken stew with grapefruit by Nadiya Hussain is a brilliant dinner all year round.
From the book
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Introduction
When I see fruit, I don’t just see dessert or sweets. I love using fruit in my savoury cooking too. That's all thanks to my Bangladeshi home that I grew up in as a child. Citrus works just as well with savoury dishes as it does with sweet. The old grapefruit doesn’t get much air time though. I love its combination of sweet and bitter, which works really nicely with the chicken. This stew is such a simple thing to make, but the grapefruit adds some razzle dazzle.
Ingredients
| For the stew: | |
| 1kg | skinless boneless chicken thighs, diced |
| 1 tsp | ground turmeric |
| 4 tbsp | olive oil, plus a little extra |
| 3 | cloves of garlic, chopped |
| 1 | small onion, finely diced |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 2 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tsp | chilli flakes |
| 1 | large grapefruit, juice (about 150ml) and zest |
| 500ml | hot water |
| 2 tbsp | cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water |
| a large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped | |
| For the couscous: | |
| 400g | couscous |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 2 tbsp (30g) | unsalted butter |
| 550ml | boiling water |
Method
Put the chicken into a bowl, add ½ teaspoon of turmeric and mix until all the chicken is covered. Place a large saucepan on the hob on a medium to high heat and add the oil. Fry the chicken in batches, until cooked and brown around the edges. Put back into the bowl and set aside.
Add a little extra oil, about a tablespoon, to the pan. Add the garlic, onion and salt and cook until the onion is soft – this can take 10–15 minutes.
Now add the cumin, chilli flakes and the remaining ½ teaspoon of turmeric and cook for a few minutes.
Add the grapefruit juice and zest, along with the browned chicken. Mix through, then add the hot water.
Stir in the cornflour/water mixture, then cover the pan with a lid and cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the couscous into a bowl and stir in the salt. Put the butter on top. Pour in the boiling water until it reaches about 1cm above the couscous. Cover, then set aside so that the couscous can soak up the water.
When the chicken stew is cooked, take it off the heat and add the parsley. Serve the stew with the couscous.
