This is one of our most cooked recipes because it’s just that good—big flavours, sweet pineapple, a little heat, and those addictive tiny pasta balls. It started as a magazine recipe that was a little too “safe” for us… so I fixed that. This version is for people who like big flavour.
Chef’s Notes
The Right Couscous
At some point in my life, I decided I didn’t like couscous. And I still don’t care for the tiny stuff. But pearl couscous (also called Israeli couscous) is fantastic—little round balls of pasta that soak up flavour beautifully. Make sure you get this type, as it’s sometimes harder to find.
Scaling
Pearl couscous is a super fun pasta variant that some people will eat like crazy, and others will eat moderately. So you need to pay atteniton to the volume and adjust it based on your experience. But generally, somewhere between 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of dry couscous per person is good. I use 1/2 cup.
Liquid Ratio
The proper amount is 1 cup broth per 1 cup couscous, plus an extra ¼ cup.
Example:
- 2 cups couscous → 2¼ cups broth
- 1 cup couscous → 1¼ cups broth
Two Pans Are Better
I’ve tried the one-pan approach to this recipe, but it means cooking prawns too early and letting them sit—not ideal. Use two pans:
- Main skillet for chicken, veggies, and couscous
- Second skillet for prawns at the end
Timing
Cooking the chicken takes the longest. Once it’s seared and in the oven, you can wait ~10 minutes before starting the couscous mixture. If you’ve prepped everything ahead, that leaves time to socialize—or have a glass of wine.
Oil
Oil is good. Too much oil isn’t. When frying the vegetables, use enough to keep things cooking well, but don’t drown them.
Ingredients & Prep Notes (Serves ~4)
Protein & Pasta
- 8 chicken thighs — skin on
- 12 prawns — shell on, deveined
- 2 cups pearl couscous
Seasoning & Flavour
- 1-2 tbsp jerk seasoning — see my recipe
- 2.25 cups chicken broth
- ½ of a 540ml can pineapple chunks in juice — reserve ¼ cup juice; cut each chunk into 4 wedges with the grain
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 large bunch cilantro — chop stems very fine; rough chop leaves (reserve a few leaves for garnish)
- 1 red bell pepper — chopped small (same size as pineapple bits)
- 2 green onions — chop green tops into fine slivers; chop rest fine
- 1–2 red Thai chillies — finely chopped
- Olive oil (or other good-quality oil)
- Salt (if not included in jerk seasoning)
Method
1. Preheat & Prep
- Heat BBQ to 450–500°F.
- Combine chicken broth, lime juice, and reserved pineapple juice; set aside.
- Season chicken with jerk seasoning. Lightly season prawns with leftover seasoning from chicken.
2. Cook Chicken
- Heat cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; add enough oil to coat the bottom.
- Sear chicken skin-side down for 4–5 minutes until crisp, then flip and sear 5 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a foil-lined tray (with edges folded up) on BBQ’s top shelf; cook 25 minutes.
3. Start Couscous
- Pour out about 75% of the oil from the skillet; reserve it.
- Wait until ~15 minutes remain on chicken cooking time.
- Sauté green onions, chillies, and cilantro stems for 1 minute.
- Add red pepper; sauté 1 minute more.
- Add cilantro leaves (reserving some for garnish).
- Add a little reserved oil if needed.
- Stir in couscous; toast for 1 minute to coat in oils.
- Add broth mixture and pineapple. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Boil 4 minutes, then remove from heat (covered) and let sit 10 minutes.
4. Finish Chicken & Prawns
- Remove chicken from BBQ and let rest. Pour any juices from the tray over couscous—flavour gold!
- In second skillet, sear prawns 1 minute per side.
5. Assemble & Serve
- Arrange chicken and prawns on top.
- Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and green onion slivers.
- Let stand 10 minutes uncovered before serving (keeps chicken skin crisp and allows flavours to develop).