Recipe of the Week: Roast Chicken Breasts with Olives and Honey Jus

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cumin, ground

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp canola oil

• 1 medium red onion, sliced

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 225g each)

• 1/4 cup honey, melted

• 1/4 cup olive medley, mixed green and black

Whole Grain Couscous Pilaf:

• 1 cup couscous, whole-grain

• 2 cups water, boiled

• 2 Tbsp currants, dried

• 1 cup carrot, grated

• 1 Tbsp butter, salted

• 1 tsp cumin, grated

• 1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). In a bowl, mix cumin, salt, paprika and turmeric together and set aside. Lightly cover bottom of a two-litre baking pan with canola oil. Cut onion in half and slice vertically into thin strips. Sprinkle over bottom of baking dish and top with chicken breasts. Sprinkle breasts with spice mixture, flip over and sprinkle other side. Drizzle with melted honey.

Bake for 30 minutes. Turn over pieces, baste with honey jus and sprinkle olives over chicken. Continue to bake, uncovered, until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in each piece reads 165 F (74 C). Baste a few more times while finishing baking.

Serve with whole-grain couscous pilaf (recipe below). Divide couscous among four dinner plates. Arrange chicken over couscous and top with some olives and roast onions. Spoon honey jus over and serve.

Place couscous in a bowl with cumin, dried currants, grated carrot and a small knob of butter. Pour over boiling water, cover bowl with plate and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in parsley and lemon juice.

Preparation time: 10 minutes; total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.

Makes four servings, 452 calories each.

- Canadian Food Focus