Couscous with Chicken and Vegetable Sauce

Cut the chicken breast into large chunks. Slice the onion into half-rings, cut the carrot into rounds, cut the bell pepper and zucchini into large chunks, and dice the tomato.

Mix together the ras el hanout, paprika, ground ginger and turmeric. Sprinkle half of the spice mix over the chicken, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sear the chicken over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown, then transfer to a plate.

In the same pot, sauté the onion and carrot for 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper, zucchini and tomato, and cook for another 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the remaining spice mix.

Pour in the water, return the chicken to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has thickened into a spiced sauce.

Transfer the couscous to a bowl, add 220 ml boiling water, 1 tbsp olive oil and salt to taste. Stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Plate the couscous, then top with the chicken, vegetables and chickpeas. Ladle the sauce from the pot over everything and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.