Tangy Cherry Chicken with Couscous

Tangy Cherry Chicken with Couscous

It's time to go public with this: I love Rachael Ray. I know, it's very fashionable to dislike her (I think there's even a Web site about that), but Rachael Ray was a big part of the reason I started cooking. I caught her show 30-Minute Meals one day, and my whole impression of cooking shows was transformed. Her meals were accessible and down-to-earth -- even I can do this!

Since then, I've grown to like other shows too (Barefoot Contessa is my favorite), but none are as practical for my life as Rachael's 30-Minute Meals. So it was like coming home when I caught an episode in which she made chicken with a dried-cherry sauce. Mm-mm-mm.

Unfortunately, I was forced to leave out one key ingredient: dried cherries! I love dried fruit in recipes, but I'm the only one in this household who does. I also left out the celery, because I hate celery. And, I left out the red pepper flakes too, to avoid new holes in the ceiling when the hot stuff hits my over-sensitive tongue. I happened to have some fresh thyme, and can't understand what this wonderful fragrant herb has to do with the dried stuff. They're completely different.

Another modification I made was to use chopped red onion instead of white or yellow, having had such fabulous success with red onion in the Cuban Pork Chops with Mojo. Not to mention having the other half of the red onion looking for something to do.

The one complaint I'll make about Rachael Ray's recipes is that they're hard to read, and they mix more than one dish together. That's to streamline the process and keep the time down, but I need quick-reference recipes, since my reality is 30-Interruption Meals. Still, neither the chicken nor the couscous were hard to make, and both had enough nice little touches to make it a step above ordinary cooking. The fresh thyme on the chicken was fabulous. The allspice and cinnamon in the couscous was subtle but gave it that Mediterranean-y flavor that I love, and the chopped scallions unblanded the couscous just enough.

Pictured is an unauthorized step, in which I put the sauteed chicken back in the pan with the wine sauce.
I used my new Anolon 10" 3-quart saute pan, one of the few with insulated handles. I absolutely love this pan and can't understand how I ever lived without it.

With some steamed frozen haricots verts, this made for a wonderful well-balanced meal. I think the red onions taste better than white or yellow, and add such nice color.


My husband basically liked it, and my sons basically liked the chicken too (though not those icky onions because I hate onions even though I've never tried onions because they're icky). I loved the thyme, the wine sauce and especially the icky onions.

But next time, the dried cherries are in!