Couscous and Chicken Salad with Orange-Balsamic Dressing

Title:
Couscous and Chicken Salad with Orange-Balsamic Dressing

Yield:
8 Servings

Categories:
Grains




Ingredients:





          Salad


 4 1/2 c  Water


     3 c  Couscous; (2 10-ounce boxes)


     1 c  Dried currants


     1    3 pound roasted chicken;


          -skinned, boned, cut


          Into bite-size pieces


 1 1/2 c  Diced drained roasted red


          -bell peppers


          (from jar)


     1 cn Chick-peas (garbanzo


          -beans); (15 1/2 ounce)


          Rinsed, drained


     1 c  Chopped pitted Kalamata


          -olives*


     1 bn Green onions; chopped


   1/2 c  Chopped fresh cilantro


          Dressing


   3/4 c  Orange juice


     3 tb Balsamic vinegar or red


          -wine vinegar


     3 tb Grated orange peel


     1 tb Ground cumin


   1/2 c  Olive oil


          Greens


          Romaine lettuce leaves






 For Salad: Bring 4 1/2 cups water to boil in large saucepan. Add couscous


 and currants. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with


 fork. Transfer to large bowl and cool. Mix all remaining salad ingredients


 into cooled couscous. For Dressing: Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl.


 Gradually mix in oil. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Season with salt


 and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Line large bowl


 with romaine. Add salad. *Black brine-cured Kalamata olives are available


 at Greek and Italian markets and some supermarkets. 8 Servings Bon App?tit


 June 1993


 


 Recipe By     : Bon App=E9tit  June 1993=20


 


 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #220


 


 Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 18:04:38 -0400


 


 From: Mail Delivery Subsystem 
(by way


 of kmeade@ids2.idsonline.com (The Meades))


 


 NOTES :  Currants, roasted peppers, chick-peas, olives, green onions and


 cilantro add color and flavor to this portable salad. To start, dip wedges


 of pita bread into store-bought hummus (a creamy puree of chick-peas and


 sesame paste, available at Middle Eastern markets). A slightly chilled


 Beaujolais or lemonade is a refreshing beverage choice.              =20