Harissa Chicken & Pearl Barley

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 750 ml chicken stock
• 400 g butter beans, drained
• 250 g pearl barley, rinsed
• 100 g baby spinach
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 15g mint, chopped
• Warm pitta bread, to serve
• 100 g Greek yoghurt, to serve
• Chopped salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole or deep sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs well with salt and black pepper, then cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until burnished and lightly golden. Lift out onto a plate.
2. Drop the red onion into the same pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and just starting to colour at the edges. Stir in the garlic and harissa and cook for 1 minute, until the pan smells warm, smoky and savoury.
3. Tip in the pearl barley and stir well so every grain is slick with the harissa oil.
4. Pour in the stock, bring to a gentle simmer, then nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan along with any resting juices.
5. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice to stop the barley sticking, until the grains are tender with a little bite and the chicken is cooked through.
6. Stir in the butter beans and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes so they warm through and the broth thickens and clings.
7. Fold the spinach through in handfuls until just wilted and glossy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
8. Spoon into bowls, top each with a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt and a scatter of chopped mint, and serve with warm pitta and chopped salad alongside.