Chicken Thighs With Barley And Pecans Food

MOROCCAN CHICKEN AND BARLEY + VIDEO

Steps:

• Combine the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl and rub the chicken thighs on both sides with half of the spice mixture.

SPICY PECAN CRUSTED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire cooling rack on top, then spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Chop the pecans so they have a consistency of coarse breadcrumbs, then set aside. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow dish, then whisk the eggs, hot sauce and 2 tablespoons Dijon in a second shallow dish. Mix the pecans, salt and pepper in a third shallow dish. Dip the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg mixture, then in the pecans. Place on the wire rack and bake until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar with the remaining tablespoon Dijon and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to whisk until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the kale in a large bowl and mix. Serve alongside the chicken.

CHICKEN BARLEY

Steps:

• 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.

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH PECAN WAFFLES AND PEACHY KEEN SAUCE

Steps:

• For the brine: Stir the seasoning salt into the buttermilk in a large bowl or baking dish. Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• For the waffles: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Combine the milk, eggs and 1/3 cup melted butter in a blender and blend until frothy. Pour the egg mixture into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and nutmeg. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Stir in the pecans.
• Heat a waffle iron. Brush both sides of the waffle iron with butter. Cook the batter in the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's directions. Place the waffles in the oven to keep them warm.
• For the chicken: Fill a deep fryer or large pot with oil. (If using a pot, fill just less than halfway with oil.) Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, onion powder, chili powder, sweet paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper and stir well. Remove the chicken from the brine, shake off excess liquid, and then dip each piece in the flour mixture, coating each piece fully.
• Fry the chicken in batches until browned and crispy and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Before each batch, make sure the oil has returned to 350 degrees F.
• For the peach sauce: In small saucepan, warm the maple syrup. Remove from the heat and stir in the peach preserves and hot sauce.
• To serve: Place a waffle on each plate, top with 2 chicken thighs and drizzle syrup over top. Serve extra peach syrup on the side.

STRACCIATELLA WITH CHICKEN AND BARLEY

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots and cook until just beginning to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, chicken thighs and barley. Cover the pot, increase the heat to high and bring to a rapid simmer. Uncover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 16 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a bowl. Add the escarole to the pot. Shred the chicken with two forks and return to the pot. Simmer until the barley is tender, about 12 more minutes.
• Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir the soup slowly in a clockwise direction and slowly drizzle in the egg mixture. Once you've added all the egg, remove the soup from the heat; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.

CHICKEN & BARLEY CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.
• In a wide frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the chicken and cook until well browned on both sides. Add a little more butter if needed. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, melt the remaining butter. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.
• Add barley and onion to pan. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Add basil and one 14 oz. can chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
• Stir in the mushrooms and arrange the chicken pieces over the barley mixture. Pour the other can of chicken broth and sherry over all. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Gently mix in artichoke hearts and continue to simmer until barley is tender (about 10 more minutes).
• To serve, skim off any excess fat and sprinkle with parsley.

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BARLEY AND PECANS

Steps:

• 1. In a Dutch oven or casserole, brown pecans in 1 T oil for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• 2. In the same pan, in 1 T of oil, brown chicken for 10 minutes. Remove.
• 3. To hot fat add mushrooms and onion. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• 4. Add barley and carrot. Cover and cook 12-15 minutes more. Stir in pecans and parsley.
• 5. *If thighs are thawed, skip 10 minute simmer time.

CHICKEN AND BARLEY BAKE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the first 8 ingredients.
• Bring to a boil; lower heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
• Transfer hot barley mixture to an ungreased 2-quart baking dish.
• Place the chicken on top of barley mixture.
• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
• Bake, covered, in a preheated 350° oven for 30-35 minutes or until barley is tender and chicken is no longer pink.

CHICKEN WITH BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Combine water, chicken thighs, and bay leaves in a large stock pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, place a cover on the pot, and cook at a simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove chicken to a cutting board to cool. Remove and discard bones, skin, and fat from chicken. Cut remaining meat into bite-sized pieces.
• Cool broth until the fat congeals on the surface. Skim and discard fat.
• Return soup to heat; add carrots, celery, onion, pearl barley, bay leaves, chicken bouillon, poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to low, place cover on the pot, and simmer until the barley is cooked and the vegetables are tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Stir lemon juice into the soup just before serving.

SLOW-COOKER DIJON CHICKEN WITH BARLEY AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the barley, mushrooms, chicken, chicken broth, lemon juice, white wine, garlic, thyme, salt, onion powder, red-pepper flakes and several generous grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine, then cook for 3 hours on high.
• At first it will seem like there is too much liquid, but the dish will thicken as it cools, and as you stir. Stir in the frozen peas and let them heat through, about 2 minutes.
• In a small bowl, stir together the crème fraîche and mustard, then fold it into the barley mixture. The chicken thighs should be falling apart; break them into coarse chunks with a spatula. Taste and add more mustard for a stronger flavor, if desired. Stir in the chopped tarragon and serve. Pass Parmesan at the table for topping.

GARLIC CHICKEN WITH BARLEY

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with a browning option, brown chicken in oil, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to a plate. (If your slow cooker doesn't have a browning option, just remove skin from the chicken.) Add barley, broth, wine, onion, and garlic to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on top. Cover and cook on low until chicken is cooked through, 2 hours.
• Stir peas and tarragon into barley; season with salt and pepper; and transfer to a platter. Arrange chicken on bed of barley and serve.