Cherry Balsamic Chicken
with Almond Couscous & Roasted Carrots
- Wheat
- Tree Nuts
- Milk
We like to think of chicken as the ultimate blank canvas that can be painted with allllll the flavors. Tonight’s palette: A saucy coating that includes glossy cherry jam and balsamic pan sauce—because why choose one of these ingredients when you can have both? Also on the mood board: a side of almond-studded couscous and roasted carrots. Paint it all together and you have yourself a dinner to Remem-brandt. (See what we did there?)
Ingredients
1 unit
Cherry Jam
½ cup
Israeli Couscous
(Contains: Wheat)
5 teaspoon
Balsamic Vinegar
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 clove
Garlic
9 ounce
Carrot
2 unit
Scallions
12 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
½ ounce
Sliced Almonds
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
Not included in your delivery
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Peel and mince garlic. Trim, peel, and cut carrots on a diagonal into ½-inch-thick pieces. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.
• Melt 1 TBSP butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add almonds; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. • Add garlic, couscous, and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring, 30 seconds. • Stir in ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4 servings) and cover. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until couscous is tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain any excess water from pot if necessary. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While couscous cooks, toss carrots on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. • Roast on middle rack until browned and tender, 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season generously all over with salt and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side. • Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board to rest.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites; cook, stirring, 1 minute. • Pour in vinegar, stock concentrate, jam, and ¼ cup water (1⁄3 cup for 4 servings); whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. • Turn off heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
• Fluff couscous with a fork; season with salt and pepper. TIP: For an extra-rich experience, stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings). • Thinly slice chicken crosswise. • Divide couscous, chicken, and carrots between plates. Top chicken with sauce. Garnish with scallion greens and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the cherry balsamic sauce, finding it delicious and restaurant-quality. Some wanted more cherry flavor or a thicker consistency.
- Ease of prep: Generally easy to make, though a few found it time-consuming or complex. Some had trouble getting the sauce to thicken properly.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more cherry jam for stronger flavor. Try adding cornstarch to thicken the sauce if needed.
- Portions: Several mentioned small chicken portions or not enough carrots for the servings. Some added extra vegetables to stretch the meal.
- Couscous: The almond couscous was a hit for many, though some found it bland. Adding stock, herbs, or cheese improved flavor.
Reviews from our home cooks
Cherry Balsamic Chicken with Almond Couscous & Roasted Carrots was good. We didn't get the sauce thick enough. Leftover sauce in the pan was great with a slice of milk bread like how you would have olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette at an Italian meal. I liked the nutty texture of the almonds with the couscous. I would slice the carrots even thinner, but husband likes them thick. Daughter learned that she had to read instructions carefully. It was 6 minutes per side for the chicken and not a total of 6 minutes. I let her know that she had to cook the chicken a little more for it to be fully cooked. It was her first recipe.
This was a very flavorful and easy dish to prepare. The garlicky couscous with the seared chicken and cherry balsamic sauce was a hit with my family and the roasted carrots were a perfect side.
Chicken was tender and not dry, the cherry glaze was not too sweet, as I expected. Roasted carrots are always tasty. The almond couscous was a nice side with a great texture crunch.
FIVE STARS... my favorite so far. And I've never cooked with a cherry balsamic sauce before... LOVE IT. I might prefer to sautee the carrots and add a light honey drizzle (thanks to the other recipe). For the couscous, I'd use chicken stock in place of water. And, I'd add a few sliced and sauteed button mushrooms into the cooked couscous.
Loved the addition to almonds in couscous. The cherry balsamic sauce was great. Baked the chicken over using stove bc stove always smokes my house out
The carrots and almond couscous were the were the best part of this meal--so delicious. However, there was not nearly enough carrots for the 4-servings we ordered. Portions of everything else was fine, but there were probably only half the amount of carrots. The chicken was okay but wasn't anything special. The cherry balsamic glaze helped it out a bit.
Always a favorite. I added extra sliced almond and garlic to the couscous and it was extra delicious. I baked the chicken next to the carrots and it turned out pretty good. (I always over cook it in a skillet so thought putting it in the oven might work better for me.) I love this recipe. It's pretty simple to make and has a lot of flavor while not being over powering or too complex.
One of my top favorites. The couscous was so buttery with the perfect texture and the cherry balsamic chicken was soooooo good. I wish there had been more carrots
The chicken was fresh and easy to cook the roasted carrots and couscous pared with the balsamic sauce made this dish spectacular. The best part was that it was easy and fast to make.
Loved the cherry balsamic chicken and the carrots. Had never eaten couscous, it was good but not sure I will want it often. Am enjoying these, but prep time is much longer than stated. Would be great for two to do together!
