A collaboration between Andrew Schloss and Cookthink, the Sunday Dinners project is designed to help those of us who love to cook but have trouble finding the time. Each week, we bring you recipes for a leisurely weekend meal — and show you how to spin the leftovers into brand new, easy weeknight dinners. (For more on this, read Andy’s introduction to the project.) 

There are chickens in every pot and skillet and oven in this country almost every night. But the ubiquity of chicken has made us hungry for quick, easy, delicious ways to turn our favorite bird into a memorable meal.

Well, have I got a recipe for you.

Perfumed with coriander leaf and seed, a bath of lemon and an excess of garlic, this homey and exotic chicken emerges from the oven redolent with intoxicating smells.

Better yet, the chicken — along with its side dishes of caponata and angel hair pasta with arugula pasta — forms the groundwork for a week’s worth of entrees, each pungent with the flavors of Morocco, Provence and the western Mediterranean Sea.

Preparing couscous and the stew of the same name that accompanies it is practically a national pastime in Morocco and southern France. It is not an opulent dish, but like most peasant fare it can take the better part of a day to fix. Using leftover sauce from Sunday’s roast chicken speeds up my recipe for lemon couscous with chicken and vegetables for a Monday night meal.

During the week, the caponata side dish from the Sunday meal is transformed into an instant sauce Niçoise to top a microwaved cod fillet. On another night, the caponata teams with some of the arugula pesto from Sunday’s angel hair pasta to become a novel version of soupe au pistou, made ready from start to finish in less than 15 minutes. The same pesto provides the spark for a goat cheese burger topped with green herb salsa.

Sunday Dinner Recipes:

Recipe: Roasted Lemon-Coriander Chicken (Sunday Dinners)
Recipe: Sicilian Caponata Salad (Sunday Dinners)
Recipe: Angel Hair Pasta With Arugula Pesto (Sunday Dinners)

Weekly Spin-Off Dinners:

Recipe: Lemon Chicken Couscous (Sunday Dinners)
Recipe: Microwaved Cod Nicoise (Sunday Dinners)
Recipe: Chevre Cheeseburgers With Green Herb Salsa (Sunday Dinners)
Recipe: Soupe Au Pistou (Sunday Dinners)

Reference: What exactly is couscous? (Andrew Schloss)