Tuesday 17 November 2015

Hearty Chicken Stew




Here's a different kind of recipe for you. I don't cook much, but this is a dish I learnt to make with my boyfriend. It's a delicious and filling chicken and vegetable stew, packed with pearl barley for an extra protein hit.
I love making it at the weekend for a week's worth of meals :) Make as much as you can fit into your largest pan, and it'll last a week in the fridge. 
My recipe here is half what I usually make (but I have a massive pressure cooker to fill!) - this recipe will make 6-8 portions, depending on your serving size.

Ingredients:

  • 1kg chicken
  • 1kg root vegetables (many supermarkets sell packs of these) - we used carrots, parsnips, onion and swede
  • 500g vegetables of your choice - we used celery, sweet potato, mushrooms and leeks 
  • 250g pearl barley
  • 3 chicken stock cubes/concentrated stock pots
  • around 2l water (to fill the pan)
  • Handful of parsley, roughly chopped.
  • 2 cans mixed beans/lentils (we used a can of green lentils and a can of butter beans)


Method:

1. Chop the chicken into bitesize pieces and place in your largest pan.

* Here's a money saving tip - get frozen chicken breasts! They're far cheaper than fresh, and you can defrost them in an hour by placing the bag in a bowl of hot water.


2. Peel the swede and coarsely grate into the pan. Roughly chop the rest of your vegetables (they don't need peeling), and pour into the pan. 

Here's all of the ingredients we used!
3. Open your cans of mixed beans and/or lentils, drain, and add to the pan.

3. Add your stock cubes, water and pearl barley. Bring to the boil and cook for 40 - 45 minutes, stirring every 5 - 10 minutes. 

This method poaches the chicken so it's lovely and soft - after 40 minutes, check that the chicken is cooked by cutting a piece open and checking it is white all the way through. 

The vegetables can be left slightly-crunchy if wanted (as portions of the stew will be being reheated during the week).

The pot all filled up before cooking!

4. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley before serving.
5. Enjoy!

Yum
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