Asian Sesame Chicken Couscous Salad (Printer View)

Chewy pearl couscous with rotisserie chicken, crisp cucumbers, and scallions in a tangy sesame-soy dressing. Ready in 30 minutes.

# What you'll need:

→ 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 chili sauce (optional)
15 - 1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola or sunflower)

# Method:

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 8-10 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 to incorporate.
05 - Serve immediately at room temperature or chill for 30 minutes for a colder salad.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sesame-soy dressing is that rare thing—bold enough to make every bite interesting, gentle enough not to overpower the couscous's natural nuttiness.
  • You can have it ready while your coffee cools, which means weeknight dinners that feel anything but rushed.
  • It tastes even better the next day when the flavors settle into each other, making it perfect for meal prep without tasting like an afterthought.
02 -
  • If you add the dressing to warm couscous instead of cool, it actually absorbs better and tastes more cohesive—this was a happy accident I learned about the hard way after making it dozens of times.
  • Don't skip seeding the cucumber unless you enjoy a watery salad an hour later; that small step protects everything you've built.
03 -
  • Make a double batch of the dressing and keep it in a jar in your fridge—it's amazing on greens, roasted vegetables, or even grilled fish, so it earns its space.
  • If you forget to cool your couscous before dressing it, pour it onto a plate instead of a baking sheet and it'll cool in half the time while you prep everything else.
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