We are finally home! After a 10 day hospital stay, it is especially nice to be in our comfortable, cozy surroundings. This weekend, we basked in the joy of having our son home with us and have the hospital experience behind us. We feel so blessed and are incredibly happy. I shared some really cute pictures of our baby boy yesterday on Facebook and Instagram, so head on over to check them out if you haven't seen them yet. While I am recuperating and enjoying my "maternity leave", I have some really yummy recipes stored up to share with you.
I make roast chicken quite often for dinner. Usually, I make potatoes or rice to serve alongside, but since I'm a big fan of other grains too, barley is another option that I reach for. This time, I decided to bake the barley in the oven and to use chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. With the usual onion, carrots, celery and garlic flavoring the barley, I also added butternut squash and was so pleased with the results. The honey, lemon and garlic glaze on top of the chicken ties it all together perfectly.
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
salt, ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ cups pearled barley
2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
Glaze:
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove grated on microplane
Instructions:
Pictured above are 4 chicken thighs. You will need 6-8 chicken thighs for this recipe. I made half of the recipe, since it was only for my husband and myself.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Trim the chicken thighs from extra fat and pat them dry with a paper towel. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet on high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down first and brown for about 5-8 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. 
Turn the chicken over and brown on the other side as well.
The chicken will render out a lot of fat. This is actually a very important step in this recipe. If you add the chicken raw to the baking dish, it will exude a lot of fat and it will all go into the barley. Not very tasty, in my opinion. This way, you will get rid of most of the fat while browning the chicken.
Don't mess with it, leave it alone in the pan until it's ready to be turned. Set the chicken aside on another plate. You may have to brown the chicken in 2 batches, or use a large skillet. 
Discard most of the fat in the skillet, leaving behind 1 Tablespoon. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. 
Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened. Add the butternut squash, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. 
Add the barley and the broth to the skillet. 
Bring the broth to a boil and pour the entire barley and vegetable mixture into a 9x13 inch rimmed baking dish. Nestle the chicken on top, skin side up. 
As you can see, there is plenty of room for more chicken thighs in the baking dish. I magically have another chicken thigh in there:). Ha ha. Actually, I browned 8 chicken thighs, but used the other 3 for another recipe.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil or a cover and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until all the liquid is absorbed. 
Uncover the baking dish and cook for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. 
Brush the top of the chicken with the glaze and broil the chicken for 3-5 minutes. Brush with more glaze before serving.
Chicken and Baked Barley
Ingredients
- 6-8 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- salt ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 ½ cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ¼ cups pearled barley
- 2 cups broth chicken or vegetable
Glaze:
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove grated on microplane
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Trim the chicken thighs from extra fat and pat them dry with a paper towel. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a skillet on high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down first and brown for about 5-8 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Turn the chicken over and brown on the other side as well.
- The chicken will render out a lot of fat. This is actually a very important step in this recipe. If you add the chicken raw to the baking dish, it will exude a lot of fat and it will all go into the barley. Not very tasty, in my opinion. This way, you will get rid of most of the fat while browning the chicken.
- Don't mess with it, leave it alone in the pan until it's ready to be turned. Set the chicken aside on another plate. You may have to brown the chicken in 2 batches, or use a large skillet.
- Discard most of the fat in the skillet, leaving behind 1 Tablespoon. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened.
- Add the butternut squash, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the barley and the broth to the skillet.
- Bring the broth to a boil and pour the entire barley and vegetable mixture into a 9x13 inch rimmed baking dish. Nestle the chicken on top, skin side up.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil or a cover and cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Uncover the baking dish and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
- Brush the top of the chicken with the glaze and broil the chicken for 3-5 minutes. Brush with more glaze before serving.
Ok thank you, it turned out very yummy. I'm making it again today.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Alla.
Do you think I need more chicken broth if I dont use butternut squash? I dont have any butternut squash right now and am making it without it right now. Just seems like i need a little more liquid....
No, you can just omit the butternut squash and keep the same amount of broth.
Hi, Olga - Karen back.
I've commented before (years ago) how delicious this is, and how friends have even requested it for when we get together.
I wanted you to know that they requested it again, when I offered to make some meals and deliver them to their doorstep while my friend Donna, the mother, is going through her illness with Covid-19. It made a dinner and a lunch for the three of them.
She is doing a little better today but it is a long illness.
How much comfort this recipe provides!
I'm so happy to hear that this dinner has been a comfort. How thoughtful of you to make meals for your friends in such a difficult time. I wish you all the best and pray that your friend recovers quickly.
I have been making this recipe for like three or four times. And this time I substitute it with the buckwheat. Turned out really yummy as well
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy this dish, Tanya.
Could you freeze this recipe? I would love to portion it for lunches or quick suppers. Would you freeze it assembled or cook it first?
You probably can freeze it, Amanda, but I haven't personally tried it.
I personally prefer not to freeze already cooked chicken (unless it all be cooked in another way later - for example, chicken and mushrooms crepes, etc.). I know a lot of people who do that though, so, it might work for you too.
You can also try to assemble the dish and freeze it and then bake it after defrosting it. I'm not sure how it would turn out or if you would need to tweak the recipe to make it work.
This is so delicious, that some friends I had served this to before, requested it again! It also put barley on my list of basics for my cooking.
When my son comes for Thanksgiving, I'll serve it to him.
Thank you so much.
Hi, do you soak the barley first or is this not required since the cooking time is so long?
Nope, no need to soak for this recipe, Vanessa.