Chermoula Chicken with Tabbuleh

Inspired by an article in the Slimming World magazine this month, as well as my raffle winnings in group, I set out to make Chermoula Chicken for dinner tonight. I adapted the recipe to fit with what I had in the fridge / cupboards, and as we have already had couscous this week, I thought I'd serve it with tabbuleh instead. Tabbuleh is a more recent discovery of mine – the first time I had it was in a Lebanese restaurant in Tripoli in Libya in 2005. It was love at first bite. 

Tonight's version was a variation on a theme, adding more vegetables to ensure I got the required amount of superfree, and I used coriander rather than mint as that is what was lurking in the fridge drawer. You can of course add any vegetables you would like to the tabbuleh; it's great for using up leftovers too.

Serves 2

Syn free on Extra easy

2 chicken breasts

1 tin chopped tomatoes

5-6 cloves garlic

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp celery salt

small handful of coriander leaves and stems

zest and juice of a lime

1 tsp sumac

Mix together all the ingredients except the chicken and the sumac and whizz through a liquidiser. Make deep cuts in the chicken breast and place in a shallow bowl. Pour over the liquid and bake in the oven at 200°C for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Slice the chicken and serve on top of the tabbuleh, sprinkled with the sumac.

Serve the rest of the cooking sauce separately to pour over the chicken at the table.

Tabbuleh with a Difference

a couple of handfuls of bulghur wheat

juice of 1 lime

100g tomatoes. chopped (I used golden pomodorino)
a handful of chopped coriander
a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

100 g cooked green beans, chopped

2 tinned roasted red pepper, chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

Place the bulghur wheat in a large bowl and pour in the lime juice and enough boiling water to cover. Leave to infuse while the chicken is cooking, adding more water if the mixture looks too dry. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. 

 

Tabouleh with Grilled Chicken

The first time I had this dish was in a Lebanese restaurant in Libya, and from the first bite I was hooked. Tabouleh is a very refreshing summer salad and goes with almost any grilled meat. It can also be served as part of a meze table or in pita bread. I used Joe's 'Hot and Spicy Chicken Fillets', which to me are tasty rather than spicy, but each to their own. I love Joe's meat, and although it is no longer officially Slimming World approved, you can work out the syns (or rather lack of) on his website. I order their marinated meat and sausages in bulk and keep in my freezer. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

1 cup bulghur wheat

juice of 1 lemon

½ bunch fresh mint, finely chopped

½ bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 large tomatoes

1 small onion

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled chicken to serve

Put the bulghur wheat in a large bowl and add the lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of boiling water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary if it feels too dry, although you don't want it soggy either.

De-seed and finely chop the tomatoes, catching any juices and add to the wheat. Peel and finely chop the onion. Finally add the herbs, making sure the wheat is cold by this stage as the mint will discolour on contact with anything hot. Season well to taste and serve with the grilled meat.