Lunch recipe
Make-ahead chicken couscous boxes with peas, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, and lemon.
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Ingredients
28cm non-stick frying pan, food thermometer, 4l heatproof bowl and cover, grater, knife and separate raw-meat board, 750ml lunchbox per serving, 2l saucepan for peas
Method
For more than 4 servings, divide all displayed ingredients into separate batches of no more than 4 servings and use each batch’s share. Dice cucumber, halve tomatoes, slice spring onions and chop all parsley. Zest and juice half the lemons; cut the other half into wedges. Keep vegetables chilled. Prepare the vegetable stock at its labelled dilution and measure the listed volume.
Cut all raw chicken into strips no thicker than 1cm. Toss with 15ml oil, all oregano and prepared lemon zest. Wash hands and raw-meat utensils before handling cooked food.
Heat a 28cm non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in two equal batches, no more than 300g at a time, for 8–10 minutes each, turning regularly. Keep in one layer; split further if crowded and allow another cooking cycle. Check thickest strips reach 75°C for 30 seconds with a clean thermometer; continue cooking and recheck if needed. Transfer to a clean plate.
Bring all 1000ml water to the boil in a 2l saucepan. Add frozen peas, return to the boil and simmer 3 minutes or the full actual packet time if longer, then drain. In a 4l heatproof bowl pour all 350ml boiling prepared stock over all couscous; cover for 5 minutes or its actual packet time if longer, then fluff. Fold in cooked peas and remaining 15ml oil.
Spread cooked couscous mixture and chicken in separate shallow containers. Refrigerate within 1–2 hours and allow extra time to chill fully before folding all prepared lemon juice, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions and parsley into the cold couscous.
Divide chilled salad and chicken between 750ml lunchboxes, one per serving in this batch. Add all lemon wedges. Cover and keep refrigerated until eating.
