Chicken with couscous, sweet potatoes and pumpkin

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 500 g Hokkaido pumpkin(s)
• 500 g sweet potatoes
• 4 chicken breast fillets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• e.g. cayenne pepper
• 1 liter vegetable broth
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp raisins
• Spice mix (Zhug, from Yemen)
• salt and pepper
• 400 ml water
• 300 g couscous
• 3 stalks of coriander

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Peel and finely dice the onions. Peel and finely dice or press the garlic. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 2 cm thick cubes with the pumpkin. Fry the chicken in olive oil in a high-sided pan or Dutch oven for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Add the onions and garlic and fry for about 2 minutes until translucent. Stir in the tomato paste and cayenne pepper. Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes to the chicken and cook for about 10 minutes. Then mix in the pumpkin cubes and chickpeas. Stir in the cinnamon and raisins. Once the pumpkin is also cooked, season everything with salt, pepper, and zhug. Put the water in a pot, add salt, bring to a boil, add the couscous, reduce the heat, and let it swell. To serve, turn the couscous out into the center of a tebsil or large platter. Layer the vegetables around the couscous and place the fillets on top. Pour enough broth over the couscous to moisten it. Serve the remaining broth separately. Pluck coriander leaves from the stems and sprinkle over the dish. Alternatively, you can use thighs instead of fillets. Note: As an alternative to the Zhug spice mix, simply use chili, garlic, coriander, cardamom, and cumin.