Oregano Chicken and Parsley Cucumber Couscous

We're baaaaaack! And we're in Virginia! And we're cooking! These are all very exciting things! I can't contain my excitement for all the things! And finally, we have cooked in our new kitchen and it was delicious. We desperately miss our wonderful EarthFare, but we are happy to have Trader Joe's back in our lives (supplemented by Fresh Market). We haven't found a place to buy things in bulk and we skipped out on the farmer's market this weekend because of a wedding, but after things settle in some more, we hope to get back into those old habits as much as possible. For now, we're just pretty excited that the kitchen is unpacked. The rest of the apartment? Not so much...
I have to say, after one hell of a move (and some issues we're still sorting out, over a week later), it felt good to get back in the kitchen together. Until "real life" starts up again in August, with Will in class three nights a week and me working, I think we'd like to enjoy a little experimentation in our new place. We shall see-we're heading up to Fairfax for the rest of the week, so this post may just be a fly-by-night type of thing and then we fall off the face of the Earth again. Who knows! Anyways, enjoy these two simple recipes that compliment each other well and share enough ingredients to keep you from getting overwhelmed.

Cooking Notes: We only used about 2/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt for the marinade (or one container from TJ's). Also, the original recipe called for 4 cloves of garlic, and we used about 2 1/2. We also used fresh oregano as opposed to dried because we have it in our herb garden this year :). Lastly, we used about 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken thighs, instead of 3 1/2-4 lbs.

Oregano Chicken (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 4)
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh oregano
1 medium lemon
Fresh ground S&P
1/4 bunch fresh parsley
1 1/2-2 lbs. chicken thighs

Begin with making the marinade: combine the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, oregano, S&P in a bowl. Zest a little of the yellow skin of the lemon into the bowl. Then add the juice from about half the lemon, stirring until everything's well combined. Roughly chop a big handful of parsley and stir in. Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon size zip top bag. Remove air, close tightly, and massage bag to mix the contents and coat the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish and bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Greek Marinated Chicken

Cooking Notes: We just used a package of Trader Joe's Israeli couscous and cooked it according to package directions, so we differed from the original recipe there. Otherwise, I think most everything else stuck to the recipe. We originally forgot to add the feta, but then remember last-minute (after pictures were taken and dinner was halfway eaten!).

Parsley Cucumber Couscous (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 4-6)
1 package TJ's Israeli couscous
1 medium cucumber
1/4 bunch parsley
1 medium lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Fresh cracked S&P
3 oz. crumbled feta

Cook couscous according to package directions. Allow time to cool before combining with other ingredients. While couscous is cooking, cut the cucumber into quarter rounds and place them in a large bowl. Take a big handful of parsley and pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the parsley and add it to the bowl with the cucumber. Zest a little lemon skin into the bowl, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into another, smaller bowl. Add olive oil, garlic powder, S&P to the lemon juice. Stir well to combine, then pour it over the cucumber/parsley mixture in the larger bowl. Stir to combine, then add the couscous and mix it in. Refrigerate for a bit, then crumble in some feta immediately before serving. Keep chilled.

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Lemony Cucumber Couscous Salad

Happy Will in our new place!