Couscous Salad with Homemade Chicken Meatballs
Preparation time: 90 minutes | Serves: 4 people
The perfect light lunch or dinner for warmer days, where herby homemade meatballs are paired with a bright couscous salad inspired by Mediterranean flavours.
This is the perfect recipe for Spring/ Summer -
I went on a real Greek tangent in summer, testing new recipes, buying endless rolls of phyllo pastry and visiting Greek restaurants around Sydney. Some would say I’m manifesting the perfect Euro summer, swimming around the Mediterranean paradise (this is half true), but I’ve simply found that the primary ingredients (fresh herbs, lots of lemon, olives and yoghurt) are the perfect flavours for warmer months.
How to enjoy this recipe -
This is a great meal prep/hosting recipe that can be enjoyed for both lunch or dinner.
While my suggested serve is as a combined dish, you can make the individual elements too. The couscous salad is delicious with grilled or roast chicken, and the meatballs are great in a pita wrap or with a Mediterranean salad. Both are delicious with a big dollop of my homemade tzatziki, you can find the recipe here.
If you’re serving this at a lunch or dinner event, I’d actually recommend serving all three elements separately and let everyone assemble their own bowls. Who doesn’t love a bit of DIY?
Ingredients
For the meatballs -
1 kg chicken mince
Handful of fresh mint, parsley and dill
1 egg
2 tbsps. bread crumbs
1 tsp.
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tsps. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. black pepper
Juice of half a lemon
Big pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil
For the couscous salad -
2 cups couscous
2 cups vegetable/ chicken stock
2 tbsps. + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large tomato
2 cucumbers
Handful of Kalamata olives (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. honey
Salt, according to taste
Fresh dill, to serve
Method -
Make the meatballs -
Pulse the herbs and garlic in a food processor until roughly chopped.
Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and blitz until the mixture just comes together.
With lightly oiled hands, roll into medium meatballs.
Air fry at 180ºC for 18-20 minutes. Brush with oil and flip mid way to ensure even cooking.
Make the couscous -
Boil 2 cups of chicken stock with 2 tbsps. of olive oil, salt and a squeeze of lemon.
Tip in the dry couscous and turn off the heat. Cover and let steam for 5-10 minutes.
Fluff couscous with a fork, then transfer into a salad bowl to cool.
Dice the cucumber, tomato and olives (if using) and add them to the couscous.
Whisk remaining olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt for the dressing. Toss with the salad.
Serve with a handful of fresh dill and my homemade tzatziki.
Check out my other chicken recipes -
Swaps, Serves & Storage
Can I use lamb or beef mince instead of chicken?
You can swap the mince for lamb or beef, but remember to adjust the cooking time. You might need to add more seasoning as well - according to taste.Can I mix the meatballs by hand?
I love using a food processor but these meatballs can easily be mixed by hand. Use gloves or a rubber spatula to make the process easier.Can I cook the meatballs in the oven or stove?
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange the meatballs so they don’t overlap and cook for about 30 minutes. Brush the them with oil and turn mid way to ensure even cooking. If cooking on the stove, heat a bit of oil and place the meatballs in an even layer, turning ever so often to brown evenly and cook through.Can I reduce the amount of couscous or change the quantity?
The golden ratio for cooking couscous is 1:1 (1 cup water to 1 cup couscous). Feel free to adjust the quantity as desired. You can also use water instead of stock to cook the couscous.Can I meal prep this recipe?
Yes! This is a great big batch recipe, easy for meal prepping. The meatballs can be stored in the fridge for a week and the salad for up to 3 days.
