Warm Chicken Citrus Couscous Salad

Warm Chicken Citrus Couscous Salad is a healthy, flavorful meal that’s on the table in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.

Ok, you guys, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I got my inspiration for this salad from an airplane meal.  Whaaat???  First of all, a meal on a plane?  Second of all, a good meal on a plane?  Weellll, here’s what happened.  Last week I went to Austin, TX for the Blogher Food conference and since my husband travels a ton and has a lot of miles, I used miles for my ticket.  Well, it turned out, after a series of events,  it was a better deal to fly first class.  WOO-HOO!!

On my flight home, they were serving lunch.  Lunch was a lovely grilled chicken salad with couscous, oranges, avocado and arugula.  As I was eating, I knew I had to recreate this one at home, so I really tried to pinpoint all the flavors that were going on.

When I got home, I went to work to come up with my own version of warm chicken citrus couscous salad.  I really wanted a salad that would be simple and take little time to prepare.  To save time, I used rotisserie chicken instead of grilled chicken and I used whole grain couscous to add a little more nutrition.  This saves so much time, because there’s very little prep time.  The couscous literally takes less than 10 minutes and the dressing gets whipped up in minutes, as well.  Other than that, the only prep work is cutting up an avocado and a couple of oranges.

I wasn’t sure what the salad on the plane was dressed with, but it had a little kick from some red pepper flakes.  I decided that my Spicy Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette would be the perfect combination of flavors for my salad.  As I said, this dressing gets whipped up in minutes and it has amazing flavors.  There’s a little kick from the jalapeño and the lime and cilantro keep the flavor bright and fresh.

So what do you say?  How about an easy warm chicken citrus couscous salad on your table tonight?!

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Yield: 4-6

Warm Chicken Citrus Coucous Salad

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Ingredients

• 1 (7.6 oz) pkg whole grain couscous
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 packed cup arugula
• 1 lb rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 recipe spicy jalapeno lime vinaigrette
• 2 oranges, peels removed and cut into chunks
• 1 avocado, cut into chunks

Instructions

Bring chicken stock, olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes to a boil.

Stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and spoon into a large bowl.

Stir in arugula and chicken. Arugula will wilt slightly.

Drizzle dressing over mixture and toss until ingredients are well coated.

Serve salad topped with orange and avocado chunks.

ENJOY!