Blueberry Chutney, Grilled Chicken, and Couscous

Since they are pretty healthy, we occasionally like to grill marinated chicken breasts, but it’s really easy to get bored with them. This is a new recipe that I found online as a fun way to jazz up a simple chicken breast. It seems a little fancy, but it really isn’t.

I had some leftover dried apricots from making trail mix, and a half a bag of frozen blueberries that had been in the freezer forever, so I didn’t have to worry about spending a lot of money on this. (If you live near a Winco, or any other grocery store that sells things in bulk, go there! Things like spices, dried fruit, pasta, etc. are SOOO much cheaper there! It’s a lot easier to make fun and challenging recipes, since I can get many of the ingredients much cheaper than in a regular store.)

 Chicken Marinade:

½ cup white grape juice (original recipe calls for white wine - this is a great substitute!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
bit of garlic powder and onion powder
salt and pepper

Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, or until you are ready to grill. The longer, the better.

Blueberry Chutney

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground coriander

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Cool to room temperature. To do this quickly, I fill my sink with ½ an inch cold water, and put the saucepan straight into it. It cooled off in about ten minutes while I went to get my hubby from school, and then I could use it as soon as I got home.

Put mixture into blender or food processor, add a couple tbsp water and process for a minute or so. If you want it thinner, add more water. Put back into saucepan and heat through.

For the most efficient timing, I prepared the marinade earlier in the day. I started on the chutney about an hour before we wanted to eat. After it was done and had cooled, I put the chicken on to grill (just on the stovetop). While the chicken grilled, I made the couscous (box kind that cooks in five minutes), blended the chutney, and heated it through.

Serve the chicken on a bed of couscous, and put the chutney on top. We had it with a big spinach salad, since I couldn’t think of a vegetable to make with it in time. You could also serve it with rice, no problem, but I really liked the couscous with it. This isn't the prettiest picture - my camera skills aren't exactly up to par - but it looks great in real life, and tastes a lot better =)

And a bonus, the kiddo liked it too! I mixed some peas with some couscous, and just fed him pieces of chicken and chutney off of my plate, and he was a happy camper.