We recently went out to dinner with our middle daughter’s boyfriend‘s parents. We thought it was about time we finally got together, since the kids have been dating for two years plus and live together. Big change on the horizon is that they will be moving in with us, since we’ve got plenty of space, and since I always write about the benefits of multigenerational living, I figured why not have three generations of adults living under one roof and see how it goes!
Off-topic, sorry. We went to Blueprint New American Bar and Grill in Westminster. I ordered a creamy chicken piccata alfredo dish. It filled me up for dinner and lunch the next day. The next day, I was at an open house and was hungry, so I got to thinking about dinner. I was actually tempted to make a version of the same creamy chicken piccata alfredo dish, however, I will be wider than I am tall if I eat that more than once a year.
I did some googling with the primary ingredients – – chicken, lemon and parmesan, hoping to find something that would provide the flavors, without the million calories that my delicious pasta meal had. I eventually focused on soups, because it’s soup season. I read through several recipes, and then improvised. The result was absolutely delicious, and pretty, too!
As par for the course with me, I don’t measure, so put more of your favorite items, less or none of ingredients you don’t care for.
Jen’s Lemon Chicken Couscous Soup
Carrots, shredded
Celery, chopped to small bite size
Onion, chopped to small bite size
Garlic, chopped
Spinach, fresh—baby or adult, either is fine
Chicken, shredded. I was short on time so bought a whole rotisserie chicken
Couscous (could also use rice, orzo or even noodles)
Chicken broth or stock
Fresh lemon juice (RealLemon in a pinch)
Lemon zest (which means you’ll have at least one actual lemon to juice)
Lemon slices (a second lemon, with the peel left on and sliced in to smiles)
Olive oil
Oregano, Parsley and Thyme
Capers (for fun, don’t go heavy on them = very salty)
Parmesan, grated
I like to do one pot cooking whenever I can, and that’s entirely possible with this recipe! Cook pasta/rice according to package directions, leaving al dente, since it will cook more when mixed in with the final soup. Set aside.
Using the same pan, lightly coat the bottom with olive oil. When it is heated, add celery, carrots, and onion, sauté 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, lemon juice and spices. Sauté just a few more minutes.
Add chicken broth or stock and bring to a boil. Let boil a few minutes then turn the heat to low and add the chicken, rice/pasta and lemon slices. Shortly before serving add spinach and not too many capers (salt balls). Ready to serve when the spinach is wilted.
For serving, I made sure every dish had at least one lemon smile and then grated fresh Parmesan on top.
What I would do differently next time: Double the amount of broth since the pasta was really a space hog when I put the ingredients together. And the next morning it was more of a goulash, with no broth in sight.