Greek Chicken with Herb Couscous & Tzatziki

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g instant couscous
• 1 chicken stock cube, dissolved in 240ml boiling water
• 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 0.5 cucumber, diced
• 15 g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 10 g fresh mint, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 150 g Greek yogurt
• 0.5 cucumber, grated and squeezed dry, for tzatziki
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Toss the chicken strips with the oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Work the spices in with your hands so every strip is coated, then leave to sit for 10 minutes while you get everything else moving — the salt starts seasoning right through the meat, and the spices wake up against the warm oil.
2. Pour the hot stock over the couscous in a bowl, cover with a plate or cling film and leave for 5 minutes. Fluff thoroughly with a fork until light and separate — drag the tines through, don't stir, or you'll knock it claggy.
3. Heat a large stainless or cast-iron frying pan over high heat until a drop of water hisses and skitters. Lay the chicken strips out in a single layer — work in two batches, no exceptions. Crowd the pan and water comes out of the meat, the temperature drops, and you've boiled the chicken instead of browning it. Cook 4–5 minutes on the first side without moving it, then flip and give it another 3–4 until deeply golden with crisp edges and cooked through. The spices will toast and bloom against the hot pan, turning fragrant and properly Greek rather than dusty and raw.
4. For the tzatziki, squeeze the grated cucumber dry in a clean tea towel — really wring it out, or the yoghurt goes watery within minutes. Stir it through the Greek yoghurt with the lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust — it should be bright and cool, not bland.
5. Stir the halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, parsley, mint and the remaining lemon juice through the couscous. Season well, then taste and season again — couscous drinks salt, and underseasoned couscous is the difference between a side and a sulk. Adjust now, not at the table.
6. Pile the herby couscous onto plates, lay the golden chicken strips over the top, spoon the tzatziki generously alongside, scatter with torn mint leaves and tuck a lemon wedge onto every plate to squeeze over at the table.