Recipe'n & Ruminatin': Thursday (But Crazy Late): Chicken Casserole

Can you tell I am happy to have use of my ovens again? Because I am so excited! As I have been stockpiling barley over the years, I always jump all over a recipe that includes it in any form. Hence this week, two times. You can use whatever veggies you have handy, I have a lot of peppers, so a red pepper and some mushrooms it is.

You will need:

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped or grated
1/2 c pearl barley (that's the prettier, more conformist one)
2 1/4 c chicken stock
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, preferably cooked and dicd
1 red pepper
1 c mushrooms, sliced and / or diced
Salt, pepper, thyme

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, prep! Look for your Dutch oven. Not there? Check in the cupboard under the counter? Not there either? Pantry! Score! Chop / grate your onions, mushrooms and red pepper into bite-able pieces. Rinse your barley under cold water until the water runs clear.

Here is a big part of prep that you can skip if you have cooked chicken breast: poaching the chicken. If your chicken is cooked already, just carry on. If not, pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan that has a lid. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Poach for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked all the way through.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, heat the oil in your newly found Dutch oven, add in the onion and barley and stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions start to soften.

When your chicken is done poaching, remove from the pan and set aside to cool. Dump all the stock into the onion /barley mixture, let boil for a minute, then cover it and bake for 45 minutes.

Chop your chicken when it is cool, reserving any juices.

Take the dish out of the oven and add in the chicken, mushrooms and peppers, along with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Back in the oven! This time for 30 minutes, until the moisture is mostly absorbed.