Chicken and Mushroom Pot with Sherry and Pearl Barley

• 1.8kgbone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 500gchestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
• 2large onions, finely sliced
• 3leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways, washed and sliced
• 3carrots, cut into 1cm pieces
• 4celery sticks, sliced
• 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 150mldry sherry
• 300gpearl barley
• 1.25litres hot chicken stock
• 6thyme sprigs
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tbspsherry vinegar
• Fine salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 170°C fan. Pat the chicken dry and season it well with fine salt and black pepper.
2. 2Heat the olive oil in a 7-litre lidded casserole over a medium-high hob. Brown the chicken in two batches for 10–12 minutes per batch until the skin is deeply golden, then lift it onto a plate.
3. 3Add the mushrooms to the casserole and cook for 6–8 minutes until browned at the edges and their liquid has cooked away. Add the onions, leeks, carrots and celery, then cook for 10 minutes until softened and glossy.
4. 4Stir in the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the sherry and scrape up the dark sticky bits from the base; bubble for 3–4 minutes until reduced by roughly half.
5. 5Stir in the pearl barley, hot stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a steady simmer until bubbles are breaking across the surface, then nestle in the chicken skin-side up.
6. 6Cover and bake for 55 minutes until the barley has started to swell. Remove the lid and bake for a further 20–25 minutes until the barley is tender, the broth is thickened and the chicken is steaming hot throughout with no pink remaining, or reaches 75°C for 30 seconds.
7. 7Lift out the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Rest the pot for 15 minutes until the barley has settled into a thick, spoonable sauce, then stir through the sherry vinegar and check the seasoning before serving.

Per serving

kcal

243

protein

9.2g

fibre

10.8g

carbs

43.9g

fat

5g