Couscous Chicken Salad

This Couscous Chicken Salad is made with pearl couscous, grilled or cooked chicken, bell pepper, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, spinach, arugula, feta cheese, tossed with a paprika vinaigrette! It’s an easy and delicious salad to eat warm for dinner, and again the next day cold for lunch.

Salads for lunch, salads for dinner – I’m ALL over it!

It’s no surprise that a salad provides a wonderful serving of fresh veggies and can be a great source of protein as well.
And don’t you just feel better when you eat leafy greens mixed with veggies, and some steak, chicken or fish?
I know I do!

SAVE THIS WARM COUSCOUS SALAD TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

Couscous Chicken Salad Ingredients

• Chicken –
  this salad is a great salad for summer because it’s delicious with grilled chicken.
  I’ll also make it all year long and use a rotisserie or poached chicken.
• Couscous
  I like to use pearl couscous, otherwise known as Israeli couscous because of its’ size and texture.
  I also love that it’s toasted first in a bit of olive oil before it’s boiled, making it even more delicious.
• baby spinach
• arugula
• orange or yellow bell pepper
• cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• button mushrooms, sliced
• flat leaf parsley
• Vinaigrette dressing – olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, paprika, salt, and pepper.

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Steps for making this Grilled Chicken and Couscous Salad

1. In a one-cup liquid measuring cup, mix the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, paprika, salt and pepper.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, place the tablespoon of olive oil. Add the couscous, stirring frequently, and cook till lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes to toast. Add the water and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, arugula, tomatoes, pepper, and mushrooms, and chicken.
4. Add the feta cheese and couscous., but do not yet mix.
5. Whisk the dressing to thoroughly combine the ingredients again and pour over the salad.
6. Mix everything together, allowing the heat of the couscous to warm the dressing.

Besides this Couscous Salad, this Strawberry Spinach Salad is a family favorite as well. It’s easy, delicious, and perfect for summer.

Looking for lunch salad ideas?
Egg salad, 4-Bean Tuna Pasta Salad, Avocado Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps,

Going to a cookout and need to bring a side salad?
This is the Macaroni Salad I always go to.
I grew up with this Three Bean Salad because Grandma made it a lot every summer.

Italian Pasta Salad
Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
Easy Chicken Salad
Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad
Greek Quinoa Chicken Salad
Easy Ham Salad
Loaded Red Bliss Potato Salad are more great salad options, too!

My recipe is adapted from Giada’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika.

Created by: Lynne Feifer

Couscous Chicken Salad

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

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This Couscous Chicken Salad is made with pearl couscous, grilled or cooked chicken, bell pepper, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, spinach, arugula, feta cheese, tossed with a paprika vinaigrette! It's an easy and delicious salad to eat warm for dinner, and again the next day cold for lunch.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• medium saucepan
• Large Mixing Bowl
• 1-cup liquid measuring cup

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Dressing

• ▢ ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons paprika can also used smoked paprika, if desired
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups pearl couscous aka Israeli Couscous
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ 2 cups packed spinach coarsely chopped or torn
• ▢ 2 cups packed arugula coarsely chopped or torn
• ▢ 18 ounces cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 1 orange or yellow bell pepper sliced thin
• ▢ 6 button mushrooms sliced
• ▢ 2 cups cooked chicken chopped, diced or shredded
• ▢ 4 ounces crumbled seasoned feta cheese

Instructions

Dressing

• Whisk together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, paprika, salt and black pepper in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.

Salad

• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, place the tablespoon of olive oil.
• Add the couscous, stirring frequently, and cook till lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the water and the salt and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Combine the spinach, arugula, tomatoes, pepper, mushrooms, and chicken in a large bowl.
• Add the feta cheese, but do not yet mix. Add the couscous.
• Whisk the dressing to thoroughly combine the ingredients again and pour over the couscous.
• Mix everything together until coated with the dressing, and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 822mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1878IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 2mg

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I used to rate everything I make on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Pear Couscous Chicken Salad earned a whopping 4 rolling pins!

My family LOVED it and it’s been regular menu item since I first made it.
It’s so incredibly tasty and we enjoy it just as much for lunch the next day.

This recipe has been updated in format and with new photos on 6/9/21. It was originally published on 2/23/17.