Claypot chicken with pearl barley and beer

Prepare
overnight
Cook
30 mins to 1 hour
Serve
Serves 4

This chicken dish is all cooked in one casserole which makes clearing up a breeze.

By Adam Byatt

From Saturday Kitchen

Shopping list

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 1.2kg/2lb 10oz whole chicken, wishbone, wing tips and parson’s nose removed
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 celery stick, thinly sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 red chilli, split lengthways
  • 1 bay leaf, small bunch fresh thyme and small bunch fresh rosemary, tied into a bouquet garni
  • 1 lemon, cut in half
  • 50g/1¾oz pearl barley, soaked overnight in cold water
  • 200ml/7fl oz beer
  • 1 lemon, juice only
  • 30g/1oz fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the house dressing

For the green salad

Method

  1. To make the chicken, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large casserole over a medium heat, add the chicken and brown all over. Set the chicken aside.

  2. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.

  3. In the same casserole, fry the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chilli and bouquet garni for 5 minutes. Add the barley, beer and lemon juice.

  4. Sit the chicken on top of the mixture in the casserole and pour in 200ml/7fl oz water. Cover with the lid and roast for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken and pearl barley are cooked through. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the leg, between the drumstick and the thigh, is pierced with a skewer. Leave to rest in the casserole for 1 hour.

  5. Remove the chilli from the casserole and chop, removing the seeds. Remove the chicken from the casserole and pick the meat off the chicken legs. Mix the chicken leg meat and chilli back into mixture in the pan along with the parsley.

  6. Remove the skin from the chicken breasts and slice each into three pieces. French trim the chicken drumsticks and place on top of the barley mixture.

  7. To make the dressing, mix the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk the oil in gradually to form an emulsion and season with salt and vinegar.

  8. To make the green salad, mix the butterhead leaves, shallot and dill together in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing.

  9. Serve the chicken and barley mixture with the salad.