Grilled Chicken Couscous Salad with Peaches & Mint

This post is sponsored by Walmart Canada, as part of their “Discover the Best of Fresh” program. I have received compensation in exchange this review, but as always, all opinions are my own.

This vibrant salad features all the best flavours of summer – flame-kissed chicken breasts and juicy, ripe peaches are tossed with couscous in a bracing lime vinaigrette along with jalapeño and fresh mint.

Related: How To Cook Perfectly Fluffy Couscous, Every Time

Feta adds salty creaminess and almonds offer a toasty crunch. The honey in the dressing boosts the nectary sweetness of the fruit and balances the spicy pepper.  It all comes together in a harmonious salad that hits all the right flavours and textures.

Everything for this recipe – from the fresh Canadian chicken breasts to the juicy peaches – can be picked up at Walmart Supercentres.

As BC and Ontario peaches become available, you’ll see them appear straight from the orchard in Walmart produce departments Canada-wide as part of their (much-appreciated) commitment to carry all available local produce.

This can be a hearty dinner salad for four, a lighter meal for 6 or a picnic side dish for more. I make it with different fruits as they come in season (cherries, blueberries, melons are all delicious!) and my husband and I will have it for lunch for a few days. The jalapeño and honey-lime dressing are so perfect to round out a fruit-based salad.

Related: Easy Couscous Salad with Homemade Lemon Dressing and Fresh Herbs

Feel free to substitute cilantro for the mint if you prefer, and customize the spiciness to your liking by increasing or decreasing the amount of jalapeño.

Did you know that couscous is just a teeny, tiny pasta? Some people mistake it for a grain.

I usually grab the whole wheat. It cooks in the same short time, I find it tastes nearly identical to regular, but you get a satiating fibre bonus and all the nutrients of the grain.

A few tips for you:

The easiest way to slice a peach is to hold it up and cut straight down on all four sides to slice the flesh away from the pit, leaving a piece in the middle that looks like a core. (This works much better than cutting through the middle then twisting it away from the stone. All that handling usually bruises the fruit, and the pit itself can tear the inner part.) Then lay the flat side down on a cutting board and slice away.

Related: 9+ Genius Israeli Couscous Recipes You Seriously Have To Try

To toast the almonds, spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 6-9 minutes at 375ºF until golden.

Because the pepper’s burn is unpredictable, I always cautiously touch a bit of the membrane to my tongue to test how spicy that particular one is before I decide how much to use. (And if you decide not to use the whole thing, toss the rest in a zippered bag and freeze until needed again – I always have a stash of frozen chilies.)

Lots of fresh ideas in Walmart’s own recipe collection! And if you missed the recipe I did recently with their local strawberries, you must head over to these divine Grilled Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs.

Thank you, dear readers, for supporting the generous, thoughtfully-chosen sponsors who keep the Foodess kitchen running!

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Grilled Chicken Couscous Salad with Peaches & Mint

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 4

Side Dish

Canadian

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For salad and chicken

• 1 ¾ tsp kosher salt divided use
• 1 ½ cups couscous
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup sliced almonds toasted
• ⅓ cup minced red onion
• 1 jalapeño minced (use half if less heat is preferred)
• ½ cup loosely packed chopped mint
• 4 oz crumbled feta about 1 cup
• 3 medium firm-ripe peaches pitted and sliced

For dressing

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice from 1 to 1 1/2 limes
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

 

• Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil with 3/4 tsp kosher salt.  Stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork, and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
• While couscous is cooling, preheat grill on medium-high. Rub chicken breasts with the olive oil and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tsp kosher salt.  Grill over direct heat for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway once, until cooked through (160ºF). Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Whisk together all ingredients for dressing. Toss couscous with almonds, red onion, jalapeño, mint, feta and peaches.  Divide salad among 4 or 6 plates and top with sliced chicken breast, or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss into couscous to serve family style.

Last Updated on July 15, 2016 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD