One-Pot Chicken With Pearl Couscous and Preserved Lemon
Updated Dec. 11, 2025
- Total Time
- 2 hours 5 minutes, plus salting
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 50 minutes, plus salting
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2½cups pearl couscous
- 1whole chicken (3½ to 4 pounds), salted in advance (see Tip)
- 6garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1large onion, diced
- 2tablespoons ground cumin
- 6tablespoons puréed or finely chopped store-bought preserved lemons
- 12Medjool dates, pitted and torn in half
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Finely chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
929 calories; 53 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 99 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 34 grams sugars; 64 grams protein; 1167 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. When it shimmers, add the couscous. Cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer the couscous to a bowl and set aside.
- Step 2
Return the pot to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. When it shimmers, carefully lay in the chicken, breast-side down, and cook until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Use tongs to carefully remove the chicken to a plate.
- Step 3
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, onion and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are just starting to grow tender, about 6 minutes.
- Step 4
Return the chicken to the pot, breast-side up. Add 2 cups water and the preserved lemon, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover tightly with a lid. Cook until the chicken thigh is tender at the bone, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Step 5
Uncover the pot and stir in the couscous and dates. Taste the broth—it should be flavorful and highly seasoned. If needed, adjust the seasoning with salt (I’ve never needed to add more salt at this point, but your preserved lemon paste may not be as salty as mine). Cover and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the couscous is al dente, about 15 minutes. Leave the pot covered off the heat for another 10 to 15 minutes—the couscous will continue absorbing the broth and finish cooking, and the chicken will rest during this time.
- Step 6
Remove the chicken to carve it. Stir the lemon zest and juice into the couscous, and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed. Return the carved chicken to the pot and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.
- Step 7
Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Add a little water and, stirring, gently return to a boil to reheat.
- When possible, season chicken in advance of cooking so that salt has time to penetrate, enhance flavor, and — if done early enough — tenderize. In terms of timing, any time is better than none, and more is better than some, up to about 48 hours, after which a chicken will begin to cure. The true sweet spot — when you can manage it — is the night before you plan to cook. But seasoning in the morning, or even the afternoon, will yield a better chicken than no time at all. I like to do it as soon as I get home from the grocery store, so I don't have to think about it again. And if you're monitoring your salt intake, remember: Seasoning with a smaller amount of salt in advance will make a larger impact than a large amount applied just before cooking or serving.
Private Notes
Comments
This was great and simple to make. I was cooking for two so I used two chicken legs instead of a whole chicken and cut the rest of the recipe in half.
Because that's not what she wanted to make?
@Tammi Thank you! I absolutely hate when people take a recipe that has been carefully formulated and tested and destroy it. Respect the chef and cook it the way they want it at least the first time. That gives you the right to tinker down the road, but not until then.
Can I substitute regular couscous for the Pearl couscous?
@Joy Steward Orzo is a better sub for size, texture, and cooking method. I imagine you could stir in regular couscous when it comes off the heat at the end, though.
I used the NYT’s scaling feature (thank you, NYT Cooking!) and made this for two. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because my sister, for whom I cook, doesn’t like dark meat. I browned the breasts as directed in Step 2, but I cut them into 1-inch wide strips before adding them to the pot, thereby reducing the cooking time to 30 minutes. By doing this, not only did I reduce the cooking time, but I didn’t have to scrape off the couscous. I also used Lundberg’s pearled couscous, which calls for only 8-10 minutes of cook time. I did 10 minutes and the dish came out perfectly. Even my sister, who seldom comments on my cooking said, “That was a really good dinner!”
Overall, this was good but the flavors didn’t seem balanced enough. I cooked exactly as written, with the exception of using a broken down chicken vs. a whole one- glad I did, it was way easier. That said, the cumin was overpowering, the dates too sweet, the garlic would’ve been better chopped. I would instead use half the amt. of dates and chop those up so they are dispersed better and I would use less cumin and maybe add in another spice too. Not good enough to make again unfortunately.