Paprika Roasted Chicken with Cannelleni Bean, Artichoke and Cous Cous Salad

R is in London all week, which means I'm fending for myself. I figured it was a good opportunity to fine tune some "dinner for 1" options, because nothing is more difficult then portioning out dinner for one, you always end up with too much food! This simple dinner incorporated some fresh, but mostly canned, goods- which means you can use half a can and save the rest for another meal!

PAPRIKA ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CANNELLENI BEAN, ARTICHOKE AND COUS COUS SALAD

Serves 1-2

• 1 Chicken, halved and butchered into segments (wing, thigh, breast)
• Paprika (optional)
• 1/4 Red or Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 1 - 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/4 can Cannelleni Beans
• Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes (about 4) plus 1-2 tbs liquid
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• Balsamic Vinegar (or wine)
• Chicken Stock
• Frozen Artichokes
• Cous Cous, large version
• Parsley, for garnish

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

I decided to buy a whole chicken and break down, but you could just as easily purchase it already butchered, it just costs more. First, I cut it down the middle, cutting alongside the main back and front bones. I wrapped up one half, then broke apart the other pieces into the breast, thigh, wing etc. I wrapped all of the dark meat, to use the breast for cooking. I cut the breast in half, patted dry and seasoned the skin-side with salt, pepper and paprika.

Next, I heated up a saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. I added the chicken, skin side down, and cooked for 3-4 minutes or until crispy and browned. Remove to a plate. Lower the heat in the pan and add the onions, garlic and rosemary. Saute for a few minutes, then add the cannelleni beans, tomatoes and mustard. Saute for 3-4 minutes, then deglaze the pan with a swirl of chicken stock, 1-2 tsp balsamic and the artichokes. You'll want the liquid to come up to about 1/4 way up the chicken. Bring to a simmer, then add the chicken back into the pan and roast (covered) for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven when the chicken's internal temperature is near 165 and the juices run clear. Pull the chicken out of the pan and keep warm. Return the pan to the stove top and bring to a simmer. Add enough cous cous so that there is about 1/2" liquid covering it, if needed add more stock. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until tender. Toss in parsley, S&P and a dash of butter to taste.

This was delicious! While it might sound like a lot of work, the fact that there is barely any prep (other then butchering the chicken) makes it a pretty hands off meal. It also was great texturally, the pearly cous cous blended really well with the more meaty cannelleni beans. But the best part was that I've finally figured out how to make roasted chicken breasts look gourmet, just required a little cut down the middle and joila!