Everyone knows the old saying: If at first you don’t succeed, make it your husband’s problem.

More than a month ago, I ate this chicken and couscous with a side of carrots at my parents’ house. And it was so delicious and so easy to make when my dad was cooking it.

But I loved it so much, I asked if I could get a copy of the recipe to take home. And that’s where the trouble began.

See, my dad had gotten the recipe from a meal kit with pre-measured ingredients. He unpacked the box, pulled out the recipe card, and whipped the whole thing up with almost no trouble.

When I saw him do it, I thought recreating the process would be easy peasy.

Here’s the problem. It was not easy peasy.

The first time I made this recipe, I burned the couscous, despite my best efforts. The second time, I cut my finger on the zester and the carrots got burnt while I patched myself up. The third time… well, you get the picture.

I have now made this meal at least six times in the past month, just trying to get all of the elements right at the same time. I was like a dog with a bone. I just couldn’t let it go until I got it right.

Meanwhile, my husband watched as I descended into madness. Each time I made this exact same recipe, he would come downstairs to a wife in despair.

But here’s how you know my husband is a smart man: No matter how this meal came out of our kitchen, or how red in the face his wife was at the end of the cooking process, he ate what I served to him every single time. And he very sweetly consoled me every time I made it, as I explained to him what would be better about it next time.

Encouraged by his support, I kept tinkering with the recipe. And I kept tinkering with it some more. Eventually, I had a version of it I could actually follow without something being burned or bland.

Triumphant, I placed a bowl in front of my husband, excited to see him just ecstatic over this combination of flavors. Finally, finally, he would get to try the meal I had had with my father so many weeks ago. I watched him take the first bite, and I waited for his earnest reaction.

Would he weep with joy? Would he jump up and down? Would he cry out to the heavens that he’s never had a better meal?

No. Instead, he just said, “This is good. I didn’t really ‘get it’ the first time, but it’s delicious now.”

Honestly, I didn’t really know how to handle that feedback. I think my first reaction was just confusion. And then, I asked him to elaborate.

I had served this meal to him over and over again, working on getting it perfected, when he didn’t even like the texture of the couscous from the start. But after eating it six times in the past month, I had given him a kind of chicken-carrot-couscous Stockholm syndrome. Now, he said, he finally liked everything on the plate for the first time.

While I’m so excited to share this recipe with you all, I think I’m going to give Hunter a break from it for a while. But let me know what you think of it, and if you think of him, thank my husband for playing his part and enduring my many attempts. Knowing this finally has his stamp of approval has made it even more delicious to me.

MOZZARELLA CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH CARROTS AND COUSCOUS

Ingredients
4 large carrots
1 lemon, zested and quartered
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 chicken breasts
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup Israeli pearl couscous
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
2 tablespoons salted butter
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions
■ Adjust oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cut carrots on a diagonal into bite-sized pieces. Zest and quarter lemon.
■ In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, mozzarella, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Cut chicken breasts lengthwise, making each breast into two flatter pieces of chicken. Pat chicken dry with paper towel, then season on both sides with salt and pepper. Then, add a dollop of sour cream to each piece, spreading evenly. Add panko-mozzarella mixture on top, patting firmly.
■ Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Then, toss carrots on one half of the sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. (Adjust this to taste, but I liked it best with the full teaspoon.) Roast in oven for about 5 minutes.
■ Remove baking sheet from oven and add chicken on the second half of the pan. (Be careful while transferring chicken to heated pan.) Using tongs, flip carrots. Return to oven and roast until chicken is cooked through and carrots are browned, about 15-20 minutes.
■ While carrots and chicken are in the oven, add 1 tablespoon of butter to a small pot. Melt over medium-high heat (Medium if your oven tends to get out of control like mine.) Add couscous and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring until browning and toasted, for 3 minutes.
■ Add 3/4 cup water and Better than Bouillon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 6-8 minutes. Once cooked, turn off heat and drain excess liquid. Then, add remaining butter, lemon zest, lemon juice (adjusted to taste), and season with salt and pepper.
■ Add chicken, couscous and carrots to plate and serve. Feeds two.