Food Recipes Chicken Thighs With Couscous and Olives 5.0 (1) 1 Review A showstopper one-skillet meal starring golden, crispy chicken thighs. By Liz Mervosh Liz Mervosh Elizabeth Mervosh is a product tester and recipe developer for the Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama. Highlights: * Went to work at Meredith Food Studios in 2017 * It houses test kitchens for Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and Health * Went to culinary school at The Culinary Institute of America * Got her start working in restaurants Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 18, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Antonis Achilleos Hands On Time: 25 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 4 Jump to Nutrition Facts The secret to perfect chicken thighs is browning them on the stovetop in an oven-proof skillet, and then transferring the pan to the oven for the chicken to finish cooking. In this one-pan meal, you'll also throw in Israeli couscous (which is larger and has more bite than its smaller, fluffier cousin), warm spices, shallots, chopped dried dates, and meaty, buttery Castelvetrano olives. After searing, the chicken thighs will continue to cook in the oven, and then crisp up under the heat of the broiler. Showers of fresh cilantro and sweet pomegranate seeds are the finishing touches to a meal that's as ideal for entertaining as it is on a busy weeknight. Ingredients 6 6-oz. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided 1 cup uncooked Israeli couscous ½ cup chopped shallots (from 1 shallot) ½ cup Castelvetrano olives, coarsely chopped ¼ cup chopped dried dates 1 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro ¼ cup pomegranate arils Directions Preheat oven to 425°F with rack 8 inches from heat. Sprinkle skin of chicken thighs with ½ teaspoon salt. Place chicken, skin side down, in a large, broiler-safe skillet. Cook over medium, undisturbed, until chicken skin is crisp and light golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer chicken, skin side up, to a plate. Discard drippings in skillet. Add couscous, shallots, olives, dates, cumin, cinnamon, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt to skillet. Stir in 1⅓ cups water and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in couscous mixture. Cover skillet with aluminum foil and transfer to oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through, a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of thighs registers at least 165°F, and couscous is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil. Uncover skillet; broil until chicken skin is crisp, about 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and pomegranate arils. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 590 Calories 23g Fat 56g Carbs 39g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 590 % Daily Value * Total Fat 23g 29% Saturated Fat 6g 30% Cholesterol 194mg 65% Sodium 1033mg 45% Total Carbohydrate 56g 20% Dietary Fiber 5g 18% Total Sugars 24g Protein 39g *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.