Chicken Koftas With Lime Couscous

This splendid yet easy meal pairs koftas (gently spiced meatballs) and couscous with fresh accents from herbs, limes and crunchy pine nuts. Using a food processor to blitz all the kofta ingredients provides enough friction to help the meat proteins bind and form a much nicer and compact kofta. A similar technique is traditionally employed in India, where ground meat is chopped until it becomes a paste. While the sweet and tart taste of dried cherries are nice here, cranberries are an excellent substitute, bringing a similar spot of brightness to this dish.

Ingredients

• 1 ½

  cups low-sodium chicken stock

• 2

  tablespoons lime juice, plus 1/2 teaspoon lime zest

• 1

  tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1

  teaspoon red-pepper flakes, such as Aleppo

• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1

  cup couscous

• ¼

  loosely packed cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

• ¼

  cup dried sweet-tart cherries or cranberries

• 3

  tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Preparation

1. Make the couscous: In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the stock, lime juice, olive oil, red-pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover with a lid and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. As the couscous sits, prepare the koftas: Place the ground chicken, shallots, egg, parsley, serrano, garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse paste.
3. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-low. Grease your hands with a little oil and divide and shape the ground chicken mixture into 12 balls. Fry them in the hot oil, in batches if necessary, until golden brown on all sides and the internal temperature reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the koftas to a tray or plate lined with paper towels.
4. Uncover the couscous, fluff the mixture with a fork and break up any lumps. Transfer the couscous to a large mixing bowl. Fold in the lime zest, parsley, cherries and pine nuts, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the koftas and serve immediately with the lime wedges.