Chicken Barley
by Nigella. Featured in AT MY TABLEIntroduction
This thick, creamy pottage, somewhere cosily between a stew and a slightly soupy, sticky risotto, offers instant comfort. This is the sort of food that gets left behind in the Instagram age: not pretty to look at, but gratifyingly reassuring to eat.
It's not hard to remove the skin from a clutch of chicken thighs, and you can fry it to make chicken crackling to be crunched as it is. Nothing would go wrong if you were to keep the skin on but, for once, I prefer to keep the fat out of it. Do not even think about using boneless thigh fillets.
This thick, creamy pottage, somewhere cosily between a stew and a slightly soupy, sticky risotto, offers instant comfort. This is the sort of food that gets left behind in the Instagram age: not pretty to look at, but gratifyingly reassuring to eat.
It's not hard to remove the skin from a clutch of chicken thighs, and you can fry it to make chicken crackling to be crunched as it is. Nothing would go wrong if you were to keep the skin on but, for once, I prefer to keep the fat out of it. Do not even think about using boneless thigh fillets.
Ingredients
Serves: 4-6
- 300 grams (trimmed weight) leeks (sliced)
- 300 grams carrots (peeled and cut into chunky batons)
- 300 grams parsnips (peeled and cut into very chunky batons)
- 175 grams pearl barley
- 6 chicken thighs with bone in and skin off
- 1½ litres hot chicken stock
- 4 teaspoons English mustard (from a jar)
- leaves from 1 small (approx. 25g) bunch fresh flatleaf parsley
- 10 ounces (trimmed weight) leeks (sliced)
- 10 ounces carrots (peeled and cut into chunky batons)
- 10 ounces parsnips (peeled and cut into very chunky batons)
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 6 chicken thighs with bone in and skin off
- 6 cups hot chicken broth
- 4 teaspoons English mustard (from a jar)
- leaves from 1 small (approx. 1oz) bunch fresh italian parsley
Method
- Tip the prepared vegetables into a heavy-based casserole that comes with a lid, then add the barley and chicken thighs.
- Pour the stock into a jug, stir in the mustard, then pour this over the contents of the pan. Bring to the boil — and this is when better-behaved cooks would tell you to skim off the frothy bits that rise to the top but, frankly, I'm too lazy to — then turn down the heat, partially cover and let simmer for 1 hour, though check every now and again to make sure it's not bubbling away too much or dolefully not enough, giving a stir as you do so. If it looks as if it's boiling dry, then pour in a little boiling water.
- Once the hour's up, the barley, vegetables and chicken should be tender and the juices all but absorbed. Not that a little soupiness would be the end of the world. Remove from the heat and let stand with the lid off for 10 minutes.
- If you haven't used a skinless thighs, remove and discard the chicken skin. Using a couple of forks, pull the meat off the bones, and discard the bones (my particular treat is to chew the cartilage off them before chucking them away, but it's not to everyone's taste). Then throw in some of the chopped parsley and stir it through the stew, and put the rest on the table for people to sprinkle over their own bowls as they eat. It probably goes without saying that if you're feeding small children, predisposed to be pernickety about Green Bits, then you would be ill-advised to stir any parsley into the stew.
- Tip the prepared vegetables into a heavy-based casserole that comes with a lid, then add the barley and chicken thighs.
- Pour the stock into a jug, stir in the mustard, then pour this over the contents of the pan. Bring to the boil — and this is when better-behaved cooks would tell you to skim off the frothy bits that rise to the top but, frankly, I'm too lazy to — then turn down the heat, partially cover and let simmer for 1 hour, though check every now and again to make sure it's not bubbling away too much or dolefully not enough, giving a stir as you do so. If it looks as if it's boiling dry, then pour in a little boiling water.
- Once the hour's up, the barley, vegetables and chicken should be tender and the juices all but absorbed. Not that a little soupiness would be the end of the world. Remove from the heat and let stand with the lid off for 10 minutes.
- If you haven't used a skinless thighs, remove and discard the chicken skin. Using a couple of forks, pull the meat off the bones, and discard the bones (my particular treat is to chew the cartilage off them before chucking them away, but it's not to everyone's taste). Then throw in some of the chopped parsley and stir it through the stew, and put the rest on the table for people to sprinkle over their own bowls as they eat. It probably goes without saying that if you're feeding small children, predisposed to be pernickety about Green Bits, then you would be ill-advised to stir any parsley into the stew.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead but you can refrigerate leftovers, within 2 hours of cooking, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan, adding a splash of water if necessary, until piping hot. Reheat only once.
FREEZE:
Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead but you can refrigerate leftovers, within 2 hours of cooking, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan, adding a splash of water if necessary, until piping hot. Reheat only once.
FREEZE:
Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
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Show more commentsMake this! So easy and really good. My husband is an excellent chef and does most of the cooking. So when I cook I look for something simple and good. We were both super impressed with how good and healthy this was. We were still talking about it the next day! Will definitely become a regular in our home. I added a clove of minced garlic, some black pepper and a chicken stock cube since I used box broth. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written.
I make this fantastic pottage on a weekly basis for my elderly mum. It’s the only meal she eats with gusto and I’m convinced it contributes to her continued good health (together with a bit of modern medicine). It’s also enjoyed by the whole family and I’m never without a stash of it in the freezer. It’s hearty, healthy and so delicious - I cook it skin on so it’s easier to remove from the thighs at the end. Thank you Nigella - another belting recipe!
Hoping that sweet potato as a substitute for parsnip will work! Great to have a recipe for pearl barley as it’s the first time I’ve ever used it. Nigella recipes are all inspirational and sound delicious already from the instructions.
This is quite tasty and comforting, considering so few ingredients. I crisped the chicken skins in an air fryer and served on top of the stew.
This was so delicious! Pure comfort food, but healthy. Salt and pepper are essential. I added a tablespoon of compound butter at the end that I had in the fridge (butter, shallot, garlic, lemon zest) and spinach for some green.
Just WOW I’m so glad I made this recipe, it tastes amazing and is so nutritious, I will be making this on a regular basis, but probably in the slow cooker
I use thyme instead of parsley and do 5 hours in slow cooker. Hearty and delicious x
My favorite recipe -everyone I send the link to loves it! Tastes clean, fresh, and warmly comforting. I found that it keeps best if you cool it down quickly, then freeze it in meal-size portions -the barley keeps it's chewy texture better in the freezer than the fridge. Having some stashed in the freezer is like a cooking security blanket!
This dish is relaxing to prepare, it smells wonderful while it cooks, and it tastes clean and cozy. The way the barley soaks up the mustardy-chickeny juices is truly wonderful. This is just what you need if you’re feeling stressed out or if it’s gloomy and cold outside.
This is lovely. In order to make it gluten free I missed out the barley and used dijon mustard. At the last cooking period I just added some pre-cooked basmati rice for a few minutes and it was great. Very close to one of my 'made up' recipes but loved the addition of parsnips.
Balm for the soul of a tired teacher.
All the way from South Africa...managed to find parsnips and made this one last night...quick, easy and very yummy!