Fresh Direct Friday: Moroccan Chicken With Herbed Couscous, or Well, Whaddaya Know, They Don't All Suck After All

I was really dreading doing a fifth punishing mouthful of steaming hot microwave food today. But duty calls and I psyched myself up for more Fresh Direct. Today I chose Moroccan Chicken With Herbed Couscous from Smart & Simple and kissed my wife goodbye.


Although there was a torrential downpour outside, the kitchen had only one other person in it. It was quiet in there. Too quiet. I was tempted to get the salmon just to piss off the workers nearby.


This time, the instructions called for FOUR minutes of cooking. Why the extra time? What difference could one lousy minute make in the grand scheme of things? Better safe than sorry, I guess. I also remembered that couscous would probably require a wee bit more preparation.



As it cooked in the microwave, I noticed something new– whatever was in there was actually starting to smell GOOD. What the hell.


A disturbing 'pop' came from the microwave. I peeked in to see that the seal had broken. Did this mean it wasn't being fully cooked anymore? Should I tape it back up?


So I took it up to my desk, peeled back the wrap, and whoa:

A few pokes with a fork showed that yes, it was real food and not one of those plastic props at the front of Chinese restaurants that look remarkably real. And yes, the chicken breast was smaller than a gallstone my friend Mel once passed and showed me, but it did look tasty. No, the chicken, pervert.

The chicken proved a little too tough for a plastic fork, so I had to break out a metal one.

All the disappointment of the previous four days dissipated with the first taste. There was a medley of snap peas, white raisins and asparagus that accompanied the moist (however tough) chicken. The couscous was cooked (not al dente) and benefited from tiny scallions, thinly-sliced almonds and spices. Slices of zucchini and carrots went well with the chicken, all drenched with a light soy sauce. In short, pretty damn good.

A few minutes later, I looked down and saw another first:

Yes, my friends, this was the best dish all week. Which isn't saying much when you think about it. But it was a solid, well-seasoned meal that I would buy again if I ever had to work late and the 24-hour Old Bridge Deli were somehow closed due to tax problems and it was raining too hard to go anywhere else. So there's a ringing endorsement.




Overall rating: F