Lemon Infused Chicken and Couscous Salad

I found this recipe sometime before the fall of 2008. I was having one of my many cold induced sleepless mornings. Usually parking in front of the TV listening to the repetitive nature of the morning news lulls me back into some sort of sleep state. (For some reason it has to be the Chicago NBC station.) This particular morning I was somewhere between awake and asleep. I was awake enough to hear what the news segment was about, but too asleep to open my eyes.

What they were making sure sounded delicious. The dish was supposed to be something simple yet impressive for the non-cook. When I was more than semi-conscious, I went to the NBC5 website and found the recipe. Good thing I printed the recipe out vs. bookmarking it because I searched the NBC5 website and the recipe was no where to be found.

Why on earth did they take it down? This is a stellar recipe. It is perfect for the summer because you don't need to turn the oven on. I toasted the coconut and almonds right on the stove top, although you could use your oven if you wanted to. I'm excited about this salad because it would be perfect to take to a church picnic or family reunion. Most of the salad recipes I have are mayo based, not exactly something conducive to sitting outside in the hot heat for an extended period of time.

I accidentally forgot to buy the tomatoes for this dish. I had an extra Roma tomato, which was the perfect amount of tomato to salad ratio for me. However, it lacked something visually without the red of the tomatoes. Next time I'll make sure they wind up on the shopping list.

I was uncertain about the amount of mint in the recipe so I used a big handful of mint, about half a bunch. A whole bunch of mint leaves seemed like it would be very overpowering. I think half a bunch of mint was the perfect amount for our tastes.

Since the goat cheese was optional, I left that out too. The dish seemed fine without it. The salt in the cheese would probably bring out the tangy and sweet flavors in the salad along with adding another dimension of texture. Blockette is fussy about cheese, especially white crumbly cheeses. I figured it would be best to keep it out of the mix.

The last change that was made was the vinegar. For some reason I can never find sherry vinegar. I'm not sure what sherry vinegar tastes like. I don't even know what regular sherry tastes like. Whenever a recipe calls for sherry vinegar I just substitute red wine vinegar. It always seems to work great for me.

Lemon Infused Chicken and Couscous Salad
1 whole rotisserie chicken (meat removed and shredded)
1 box roasted garlic couscous
1 bunch fresh mint leaves (I used half a bunch)
2 lemons, zested
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
1 bunch of scallions. green parts only, cut on bias
4 T olive oil
1 heaping cup sliced or shaved almonds, toasted
1 bag orange flavored dried cranberries
1 cup toasted coconut
4oz goat cheese (optional)
1/4 c sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)

Prepare couscous per package. Chop mint leaves. Combine mint, lemon zest, and oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken. Toss to coat. Then add couscous, tomatoes, almonds, cranberries, coconut and scallions. (Add crumbled goat cheese now if desired.) Thoroughly mix. Sprinkle with vinegar. Toss again. Chill at least 30 minutes. Serve with lettuce to garnish.