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My cooking is seasonal. I don’t mean that I only cook items that can be locally sourced at that time of year but rather that I cook based on the weather. For example, winter is the time for stews, soups, and crockpot dinners. My mom finds this style of cooking to be amusing. Living in Florida, they would have much fewer chances to make a winter dish, such as chili, if she followed my thinking. So, she’ll often tell me, “It’s 95 today, and I have a pot of chili simmering.” To each her own.
With warm weather here, kind of, in New Hampshire, I have started to make more of my warm weather dishes. That means our evening meals lean toward dinners cooked on the grill and main dish salads. Thankfully I have a family that embraces salad as an entrée. Of course, my kids are used to this. As older teens with a mom who likes salads, they have come to appreciate these lighter dinners.
This chicken broccoli couscous salad is one of the first main dish salads I made. When my children were only preschool aged, I introduced them to this dish, and they have loved it ever since. I’m not sure quite what makes this salad so appealing to them, but it is a family favorite. If you have leftover, cooked chicken on hand, it is ridiculously easy to make. Throw it in the refrigerator, and dinner is ready whenever you are ready.
Now that it is June I hope Mother Nature will become more agreeable and bring us more days of consistent warmth. . .which will mean more meals built around salads!
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 1-1/2 cups couscous
- 1-1/2 cups broccoli
- 1 cup diced, cooked chicken breast
- 1/3-1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- salt & pepper
- Bring water to boil in a medium pot over high heat. Add couscous, stir, and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff with fork.
- In a separate pot bring water to a boil. While water heats, cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
- Add to boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. (We prefer our broccoli al dente.)
- Drain and rinse with cool water to prevent further cooking.
- In a large bowl combine the cooked couscous, broccoli, and chicken. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup mayonnaise, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Add mayonnaise mixture to couscous mixture; stir well to combine. Add more mayonnaise, if you prefer a moister salad. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours.
