Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Chicken Couscous!

This is the perfect mid-week, super easy recipe that the whole family can enjoy. Couscous is popular among Indian, Moroccan, and Middle-Eastern recipes, but I find that doing it this way is the tastiest! 



Here's what you need:

  • 6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • vinegar (for washing meat)
  • 2 teaspoons yellow turmeric 
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • just over 1 cup of couscous
  • 500 ml of chicken broth
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
  • 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • zest and juice of 1/2 a large lemon
  • 2 stalks of chopped parsley leaves
  • 1/3 cup of raisins
  • a handful of sliced almonds
  • optional: 1/4 cup of dried apricots
Now here's what to do!

  1. Wash chicken in vinegar and dry with paper towel. Take the larger thighs, and cut in half, making about 10-11 pieces.
  2. In a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of turmeric, and 1/2 tablespoon of masala, with a dash of salt. Mix chicken thighs in seasoning until completely covered. 
  3. In a non-stick pan, heat a tablespoon of oil on medium-low heat. When oil is hot, place all piece of chicken thighs on the pan for about 8-10 minutes. Flip chicken and cook again for another 2 minutes. Take out of pan. 
  4. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil, and cook the garlic and onion for about 6 minutes. Add the other teaspoon of turmeric and 1/2 tablespoon of masala and sit for another minute. 
  5. Pour broth into pan. Let boil for a second, then bring back down heat to a simmer. Add back the chicken thighs. Let sit for 35-40 minutes, covered.
  6. When chicken looks ready all the way through, take chicken out with a slotted spoon and add couscous to pan. Add lemon juice, raisins, almonds, and apricots if using. In case there is not enough broth to cover the couscous, add boiling water, so have ready just in case! Cook 5-10 minutes. 
  7. Just before finishing the couscous, add the zest and parsley. Fluff and serve immediately. Serves 4. 
Sit and enjoy! Hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you make adjustments! 

With Love,

Donna & Buck




P.S. If you don't have garam masala, don't fret! I have provided a substitute 


Garam Masala Substitute

Now I don't recommend using a substitute for masala, just because the flavour is so distinct, but seeing it is rarely used amongst most recipes, I can understand if one doesn't want to buy it by the package. 

Here's what you need:


  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 blended or crumpled bay leaves 
  • 1/8 ground cloves
Blend mix together and use amount needed. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's as close as you can get!

Good Luck!

Monday, January 28, 2013

An Intro To Buck and Donna!

Hello everyone!!

My name is Donna and I am a 19 year old student living in Ottawa, Ontario. I am originally from Toronto but I came to the big O' for school at Carleton U. 

I have two loves in my life. Food. And my dog. 

When I stare into my dog Buck's eyes, I am always inspired to start stirring something up, and the entire time he will sit right my side. Whenever Buck and I have company, people always ask for my recipes, so I thought this would be a great way for us to share with the world how we come up with our concoctions. 

I will aim to have a new recipe out every week! Some may be new innovations, and some may be my variation of popular dishes. 

I hope you enjoy my recipes as much as I do! I can't wait to share with you!

Donna & Buck


This is buck.