Smothered Barley with Chicken

Amarante

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 10:49 am

This is an excellent recipe and everyone loves it. The leftovers reheat very well. I sometimes use boneless thighs because it makes it easier to eat.

Definitely remove the skin and any big pockets of fat on the thigh before cooking.

Smothered Barley with Chicken
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Recipe By: Cooking Light
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried mint flakes
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 (4-ounce) chicken thighs, skinned
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/4 cups uncooked pearl barley
1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes, drained
6 tablespoons chopped green onions

Directions:

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, and rub chicken with
half of spice mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over
medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 1 minute on each side or until
chicken is browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Recoat skillet with cooking spray; add chopped onion, bell pepper, and
soy sauce. Cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until vegetables are
lightly browned. Add broth, barley, tomatoes, and remaining spice
mixture, and stir well. Add chicken to skillet, nestling into vegetable
mixture. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 55 minutes or
until chicken is done. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with green
onions.

Last edited by Amarante on Tue, Apr 14 2015, 11:29 am; edited 1 time in total

Amarante

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 11:04 am

The tomatoes add taste to the dish so I don't think you could leave them out without adjusting the seasonings. It would need a bit more liquid as well to cook the barley. I've never measured the liquid in a can but maybe 1/2 cup or so?

I have never needed to sub canned tomatoes so I am not sure what seasonings would be a good substitute.

Are you allergic to tomatoes? Because if it's just the "taste" of tomatoes, it's not really like a strong tomato spaghetti sauce.

etky

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 11:10 am

Amarante wrote:

DH doesn't like tomatoes Sad

I imagine they add a bit of tartness to the dish. Maybe a squeeze of lemon instead and/or some extra bell pepper....
Or I could just put in less and tell him to pick them out Rolling Eyes

Amarante

Tue, Apr 14 2015, 11:16 am

Oh if it's just a question of a picky husband, I wouldn't worry :-). By the time the dish is cooked the diced tomatoes are cooked down so they are not really recognizable unless he is totally compulsive about tiny red flecks :-). They just add a bit of tartness but you are right about the acidity and you could probably leave them off and sub something else.

I just reread the recipe and I see that the tomatoes are drained so really no need to adjust the liquid unless you check and see the barley needs a tiny bit more liquid.

It's a really good dish and very simple to make. I just looked up my notes and I generally add a few more thighs because there is a LOT of barley at the end and I make a bit more of the spice measure. I shake the thighs in a plastic bag with the spice mixture like Shake n Bake Chicken.