For a simple summer meal, try this Grilled Italian Chicken with Parmesan Couscous. The chicken is marinated in Italian dressing and apple cider vinegar. Pair with homemade Parmesan Couscous and crisp veggies for a perfect summer meal!
Summer is here, and it’s time for super quick, easy and yet still tasty dinners. This one is a perfect fit of that description. I love cooking, but I also love the summer fun and I find I have less patience for cooking during the lovely summer afternoons. I’d rather be chatting with my friends while we watch our brood of children run wild in the
sprinklers!
This meal is great for getting tasty dinner on the table, without chaining me to the kitchen for long. The chicken is marinated in a simple mix of Italian dressing and apple cider vinegar. You can do this over night, but 2 hours is plenty of time if you don’t want to worry about it the night before. One trick is to slice your chicken breasts in half length-wise. Then pound them out with a kitchen hammer to even out the thickness of each piece of chicken breast. This allows for quick and even cooking.
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried couscous before, but I love it! It’s a tiny ball-shaped pasta that cooks up so fast. You bring water to a boil, then add your couscous and let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes. SO EASY! I used to get the boxed Parmesan couscous and my family loved it. But then I realized that although the box is the same size as the plain one, you are only getting about 1/2 of the quantity. LAME! So I decided to make my own to be more economical.
Once again, summer meals have to be quick and easy. So the perfect pairing with this meal is fresh chopped veggies and dip.
My kids really enjoyed this meal. They love the couscous—especially my 2 year old. When he is eating something that he finds particularly tasty he likes to declare loudly as he eats, “I like this! Its yummy!” Makes my momma heart proud.
Next time you find yourself wrestling between the need to make dinner and the desire to enjoy your summer evening, give this meal a try and let me know what you think!
The Meal:
½ chicken breast (approx. 4 oz)
¾ cup Parmesan Couscous
Fresh veggies (celery, tomatoes, carrots, etc)
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing
Recipe Used in this meal:
Grilled Italian Chicken
Serving size: ½ chicken breast (approx 4 oz)
Servings per Recipe: 6
Ingredients
3 large chicken breasts
½ cup Italian dressing
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Slice the chicken breasts in half length-wise. Pound with a kitchen hammer to get an even thickness. Salt and pepper to taste.
Place in a ziplock bag. Add Italian dressing and vinegar and turn to coat. Allow to marinate for 2-8 hours in the fridge.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve hot.
Parmesan Couscous
Serving size: ¾ cup cooked
Servings per Recipe: 6
Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth (can use water/bouillon)
1 ½ cups plain couscous (10-oz box)
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp parsley flakes
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Directions
Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat and add the couscous. Cover with a lid and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork, then add olive oil, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts Label for Entire Meal:
Nutrition Facts Label for Grilled Italian Chicken:
Nutrition Facts Label for Parmesan Couscous:
