Sesame And Couscous-Coated Chicken

We always have a stash of instant couscous in our pantry, as it's a handy item for the manthing to take on mountaineering trips, as a result...I don't actually often end up eating it myself. However, the other day I had planned to make chicken breasts for dinner but was bored with my usual method of cooking them and decided to experiment with a coating. I love cooking freestyle; grabbing whatever you have handy in the pantry or buying whatever's on special or seasonal (or unusual) at the market and supermarket, and then creating something unique that suits your needs and tastes. Sometimes this style of cooking works, and sometimes it doesn't, but thankfully this was one of those times where it worked, in fact it worked so well that I'll definitely be delving into our couscous stash again.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup instant couscous

zest and juice of a lemon

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons flour

2-3 chicken breasts (skin and fat removed, washed and dried)

2 eggs, beaten

Method:

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, add enough boiling water to cover the couscous by 2 cm. Cover and set aside until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Dip the chicken breasts into the flour, then into the beaten egg and then roll them in the couscous mixture, patting the coating on.

Heat some oil in a pan over a moderate heat. Sear the breasts for a couple of minutes on each side then pop into an oven for 12-15 minutes at 180 Celsius or until cooked through.