Chef Einat Admony's Chicken and Israeli Couscous

I wanted to create a meal that doesn't need more than one pan without compromising my flavors and the high expectations of my spoiled family. So I found a way to put all of the things that my kids love in one pan!

TYPE MAIN COURSE
SERVES 4 to 6
DIFFICULTY MODERATE
PREP TIME 30 MIN
COOK TIME 30 MIN

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon blended oil
  • 2 to 10 tablespoon blended oil, as needed
  • 1½ pounds chicken thighs
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 3 cups Israeli Couscous
  • 4½ cups water
  • 2 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 tablespoon salt
  • 1 cup snow peas, fresh or thawed
  • 1 fresh lemon, peeled, segmented
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • 1 cup mint, picked
  • 1 cup parsley, picked
  • 1 cup cilantro, picked
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  1. Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel and salt generously on both sides.
  2. Pour the 2 tablespoons of blended oil into the All-Clad Universal Pan and heat over high heat until the oil shimmers.
  3. Add the chicken thighs, skin side first, and sear well until the skin is a deep brown.
  4. Flip the thighs and continue cooking the other side until the thighs are ¾ cooked through. Remove thighs and reserve.
  5. Fill an All-Clad D3 Stainless 1.5 Quart Saucepan with salted water, and bring to a boil.
  6. In the meantime, fill a bowl with some ice and water for blanching while performing the next step.
  7. In the same Universal Pan, keeping the heat high, add sliced onions and the additional oil blend as needed to caramelize the onions. It is essential to do so on very high heat to help the onions break down. These will also capture and deepen the flavor of the leftover juices from searing the chicken.
  8. Once the saucepan is boiling, place 1 cup of snow peas in a small shinwa, sifter, or another metal basket that fits in the pot and blanch the peas for approximately 1 minute, placing the peas in the ice water directly afterward. Once cooled, reserve in a bowl.
  9. When the onions have caramelized to a deep brown color, add 3 cups of Israeli couscous, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 2 bay leaves, 2 tablespoons salt, and water, and bring to a low boil.
  10. Once boiling, add blanched peas and chicken, cover, and reduce heat to simmer until finished — about 10-12 minutes.
  11. While finishing, peel the lemon and cut it into segments, and chop mint, parsley, and cilantro. Toss with pine nuts, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and salt as needed to make the salad.
  12. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the Universal pan from heat, and add the prepared salad on top to serve.

Pro Tip:

For some extra texture and color, once this is finished on the stovetop, remove the cover and broil the whole dish on high for 5 minutes.

RECIPE BY

Einat Admony

Chef Einat Admony, known as the ultimate balaboosta (meaning "perfect housewife" in Yiddish) is the James Beard-nominated chef and owner of Balaboosta, the fine-dining Middle Eastern & Israeli restaurant and the beloved fast-casual falafel chain, Taïm. Admony is a pillar of the international Israeli cooking community. Her food tells an intricate story of strong immigrant roots and living the American Dream. Having grown up in Tel Aviv, she served as a cook in the Israeli Army before traveling to Europe to work in kitchens and eventually landing in New York City as an ambitious young chef. After 15+ years of leading the New York culinary scene and establishing multiple restaurants, Admony continues to innovate and inspire with elevated yet comforting homestyle cooking from her childhood. Admony is a double-time champion and competitor of Food Network’s Chopped and Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. She has been featured by The New York Times, Bon Appetit, HuffPost, Forbes, among many others. Admony has authored two cookbooks with Artisan Books: Balaboosta (2013) and Shuk (2019). In 2014, she was a recipient of the Great Immigrants award from Carnegie Corporation of New York for exemplary contributions to American life. Outside of leading several expanding food businesses, Admony can be found at home in Brooklyn or at her country house in the Hudson Valley, cooking for her two children, Liam and Mika, her husband and business partner, Stefan Nafziger, and a steady stream of dinner party guests.

To learn more about this chef, please visit their website at chefeinat.com

Connect with them on social Instagram: @chefeinat and Facebook: Chef Einat