Creamy Chicken and Spring Vegetable Stew

I am by no means a health freak, nor am I one of those girls who wastes her time constantly checking the calorie content of every packet I pick up. However, and because I believe in a balanced and healthy diet, and because yesterday’s puff pizza was as sinful as can get, I decided to get some veggies into me.
I’ve never cooked pearl barley before and thought, why not give it a go. It was definitely worth it. The stew ended up being like a creamy risotto - without all the butter and cheese.

The label will most probably tell you to rinse the barley before using it in order to get rid of any excess starch. I decided against it, which helped my stew thicken beautifully.

This dish will take a little while to cook. And that is: to cook, not to prepare! It is one of those meals that require zero of your attention, apart from the occasional stir. So go off, pour yourself a glass of vino and watch an episode of CSI and tadaaa… dinner’s ready. Enjoy!

SERVES 4
PREPARATION 10 mins
COOKS 60 mins
………………………………………

INGREDIENTS

  • 200g pearl barley
  • 450-500g chicken thigh fillets, diced (you can also use chicken breast),
    at room temperature
  • 2 baby leeks, sliced (or one big leek)
  • 150g frozen peas
  • 1 large carrot, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large glass of white wine
  • 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
  • Parsley to garnish (optional)

PREPARATION METHOD

  1. Fry your garlic, carrots and leeks in a little olive oil until soft then add the chicken and fry for about 5 minutes until lightly browned.
  2. Add the pearl barley and stir until it’s coated with the olive oil and the juices from the chicken. Pour in the wine and leave to reduce to half. Add the thyme and bay leaf and top up with the stock.
  3. Leave to simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure your mixture doesn’t dry out. If it does, add a little water.
  4. Add the peas and Worcester sauce, mix thoroughly and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with a garnish of parsley if you want.

This dish is comfort food as comforting as it gets, super healthy and just incredibly good.

Posted 1 year ago with 0 notes
Tags: dinner  stew  chicken  vegetable  foodblog  foodpics  recipes  cooking  healthy  healthy food  easy  easy recipes  barley  vegetables  spring  spring vegetables  comfort food