15 Minute Meals: Greek Chicken, Couscous and Tzatziki

Can I just say that I love the new 15MM book?  It has an attached bookmark, and pictures of Jamie's kids, and calorie counts, and a section on breakfasts that wasn't included in the TV series.  I'm pretty sure there are more recipes here too, although I haven't counted to be sure.  It's just so nice to be able to cook from the actual book, with pictures for visual reference, finally!

My son frequently asks me to make souvlaki with tzatziki sauce.  It's something I do a lot in the summer, when we BBQ most nights, but not often in the winter.  So this recipe was intriguing because it looked like a good cheat.  And when you're trying to make something in 15 minutes, that's what you generally need to do!

321. Gorgeous Greek Chicken, Herby Vegetable Couscous and Tzatziki Sauce (Jamie's 15 Minute Meals, page 38)

JamieOliver.com recipe

There wasn't a whole lot new in this recipe....'spice & flatten the chicken breasts' seems to have become the mantra for my cooking these days.  This time, the spices involved where allspice & oregano, but Jamie also suggests the zest of a lemon, and of course the requisite salt & pepper.  The tzatziki sauce is exactly the same as I've been making it for years (go me!) - fat free yogurt, grated & drained cucumber, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and an herb.  Jamie uses mint whereas I generally use dill.  Of course, mine is of the dried variety at this time of year.

The couscous was a bit different because it's a fresh salad rather than a cooked salad.  I mean, you cover your couscous with twice the amount of boiling water and let it absorb, but you don't saute your green onions, chile & colourful peppers. Just blitz them up in the processor with some fresh herbs and mix them through the couscous.  Jamie suggests dill but since I already used that in the sauce, I went with mint.  LOL I'm just backwards apparently.  Brighten the salad up with some lemon juice, add some fresh peas (or if using frozen, boil them for a couple of minutes) & it's done.  Well, Jamie suggests adding olives & scattering some feta over the top, but I skipped both of those.  Don't like olives and don't have any feta. 

This one came together really quickly - basically as long as it takes your chicken to cook, it's done.  I really enjoyed the combination of flavours and the freshness of the salad.  I can see this becoming a go-to meal when I'm in a rush.  The boy ate his chicken the usual way, wrapped in a flatbread and smothered in tzatziki.  :)

This post has been linked to the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up at Gastronomical Sovereignty!