Asian Sesame Chicken Couscous (Printable Version)

Chewy pearl couscous with tender chicken, crisp cucumber, and savory sesame-soy dressing.

# Ingredient List:

→ Couscous Salad

01 - 1 cup pearl couscous (Israeli couscous)
02 - 2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
03 - 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
04 - 1 large cucumber, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
05 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
06 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
07 - 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

→ Sesame-Soy Dressing

08 - 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
09 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
10 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
11 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
12 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
13 - 1 garlic clove, minced
14 - 1 teaspoon Sriracha or other chili sauce (optional)
15 - 1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola or sunflower)

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - In a medium saucepan, bring water or chicken broth to a boil. Stir in pearl couscous, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until tender. Drain excess liquid and spread couscous on a baking sheet to cool quickly.
02 - While couscous cools, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, chili sauce if using, and neutral oil in a small bowl until well combined.
03 - In a large bowl, combine cooled couscous, shredded chicken, cucumber, scallions, and cilantro. Drizzle with sesame-soy dressing and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the salad and toss once more. Serve immediately at room temperature or chill for 30 minutes for a colder preparation.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ready in 30 minutes flat, which means weeknight dinner without the stress or takeout bill.
  • The sesame-soy dressing is genuinely addictive—that balance of umami, acidity, and a whisper of heat keeps you coming back for another bite.
  • Pearl couscous has this wonderfully chewy texture that makes the salad feel more satisfying than lettuce-based options.
02 -
  • If your couscous is still hot when you add the dressing, it'll absorb everything and you'll lose the complexity of flavors—patience here truly matters.
  • Don't seed your cucumber hastily; wet salads are nobody's favorite, and a few minutes spent removing those seeds makes all the difference.
03 -
  • Make the dressing the day before if you can—the flavors deepen and marry together overnight, and you'll have one less thing to do when you're assembling everything.
  • If you're bringing this to a gathering or eating it later, keep the dressing separate until the last moment, then toss just before serving so the couscous stays light and doesn't absorb all the liquid.
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