Posted on May 17 2017
It’s Baked Chicken Barley Kale Stew in ALLLLL its glory! An amazing one pot meal loaded with nutrients, comforting barley and potatoes and boat loads of other veggies, topped off with the infamous super food – Kale.
Is that not one FIIIINE looking stew??
This Baked Chicken Barley Kale Stew not only looks fine and dandy, but the flavours and aromas are phenomenal. Especially on a chilly, rainy day when all you want to do is warm up by a crackling fire with a giant blanket and a big bowl of something steaming hot and comforting.
It’s been that kind of week here…3 days of solid torrential downpours!! I’m talking raining cats and dogs non stop for 36 hours, plus the odd thunderstorm thrown in, the likes of which are only found on the coast….LOTS of electricity in the air and LOTS of thunder, the kind that makes you want to hide under the covers until it stops. But I was brave this time. Kind of.
Looking for more stews/soups/casserole recipes? Try my Healthy Homemade Celery Carrot Chicken Soup, my One Pan Creamy Basil Chicken & Rice Casserole, my Hearty Black Pepper Mushroom Chickpea Soup, my One Pot Mustard Coconut Chicken Skillet with Quinoa, my Vegetable Coconut Thai Green Curry, and my Sweet & Sour Cape Malay Chicken Curry.
Needless to say I’m suffering from a slight dose of cabin fever and I’m looking forward to a beach walk this evening like nobody’s business. Louie the spaniel is SO excited for his proper walk this evening too! I’ve been sneaking him out during the brief moments of light drizzle for quick walks and he’s had enough of that nonsense. Luckily for us, the sun has reappeared and the wind has died down…I think we’re safe from the storms for the next few days!
Who here is a newcomer to BARLEY Kale Stew?
Me too!! Twinsies! This recipe is the first time I have ever cooked with, or eaten barley, and I have to say I’m super impressed with it. It’s definitely going to be a staple in my pantry from now on. It cooks fairly quickly, has a nutty-grainy taste to it, the texture is pleasant (a little chewy / a little pasta-like) and it’s really GOOD FOR YOU. Loving all of the above!
A little nutritional info.
- Barley is apparently a cereal grain and is a very good source of molybdenum, manganese, dietary fibre, and selenium, and a good source of copper, vitamin B1, chromium, phosphorus, magnesium, and niacin. Excellent!
- Kale has gained a reputation for being a “superfood” amongst health gurus and is packed with nutrients such as vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, manganese, copper, calcium, potassium, and the list goes on!
- To learn more about Kale and its awesome health benefits I highly recommend that you read this interesting article on 26 valuable benefits of eating kale, all backed by solid scientific evidence – https://healthyline.com/health-benefits-of-kale/
Back to this tasty and comforting Baked Chicken Barley Kale Stew which is the reason we’re all gathered here today…It’s a ONE POT meal which I always love, it does take 40 minutes prep, but then you throw it in the oven to bake away to perfection, only checking it once, and when that timer goes off and your stew is done, it will be SO worth the effort I can promise you!!
Chicken stew is always awesome, but THIS Baked Chicken Barley Kale Stew is on another level! Adding the barley to this stew is like adding noodles to chicken soup…Takes it up another comforting notch, right?! All the veggies, fresh rosemary, turmeric & paprika with the shredded chicken thighs and chicken broth!
Mmmm, mmm, YUM.
Try this recipe out this week, and don’t forget to let me know what you think!! I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
Happy stew baking!
An amazing one pot meal loaded with nutrients, comforting barley and potatoes and boatloads of other veggies, topped off with the infamous super food - Kale.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs skinless & deboned
- Ground black pepper
- 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 carrots diced small
- 4 celery sticks sliced
- 3 potatoes peeled & chopped into small cubes
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 3 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 cups pearl barley
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup boiling water
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup kale finely sliced
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Preheat oven to 200°C.
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Place the olive oil in a large casserole dish, rub the chicken thighs in the olive oil and season them with the ground black pepper and dried mixed herbs, cover and bake for about 16 minutes, turning half way through. Check that the chicken is cooked through.
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Take the chicken out of the casserole dish and set aside to cool. Once it has cooled, shred the chicken with two forks.
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In the meantime, prepare the vegetables.
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Then place the onions and garlic in the casserole dish with the excess olive oil and chicken juices and return to the oven for about 6 minutes until the onion is soft.
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Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, rosemary, turmeric, paprika, barley, chicken broth and boiling water and bake, covered for 20 minutes. Now add the shredded chicken and bake, uncovered for another 20 minutes until the barley and potatoes are tender. Season to taste.
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Scatter over the kale, and serve.
Notes: If you notice the stew getting too dry during cooking, add another 1/2 - 1 cup water as needed.
