Chicken, leek and pearl barley stew with parsley dumplings

Chicken, leek and pearl barley stew with parsley dumplings

This stew is the perfect winter warmer. The herb dumplings and pearl barley mean you don’t need any other accompaniments. A big bowl of this is bound to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Chicken, leek and pearl barley stew with parsley dumplings

  • Serves icon Serves 6
  • Time icon Takes 25 minutes to make, 2 hours 10 minutes to cook, plus resting

This stew is the perfect winter warmer. The herb dumplings and pearl barley mean you don’t need any other accompaniments. A big bowl of this is bound to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
556kcals
Fat
23.1g (11.3g saturated)
Protein
42.3g
Carbohydrates
44.3g (10.8g sugars)
Fibre
8g
Salt
1.6g

Ingredients

  • 1.25-1.4kg organic free-range chicken
  • 2 celery sticks, sliced
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 600g carrots, thickly sliced
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 150g pearl barley
  • 50g butter
  • 150g dry-cured bacon lardons
  • 600g leeks, cleaned and sliced thickly
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked, for the parsley dumplings
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 50g shredded suet
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
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Method

  1. Put the chicken into a deep, snug-fitting pan. Add the celery, onion, half the carrots, the bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. Cover with 2 litres cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover, then simmer for 1 hour until the chicken is cooked, turning it halfway through. Lift the chicken onto a plate, cover and set aside to cool slightly. (You can do this a day ahead and leave the chicken to cool in the liquid.)
  2. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl, then return it to the pan, discarding the veg. Add the pearl barley, bring to a simmer, cover, then cook for 35-40 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the bones, discarding the skin, and tear it into small pieces.
  3. Melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole (at least 4 litre capacity), add the bacon lardons and fry gently for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden. Add the remaining carrots, leeks and thyme and stir together well. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the pearl barley/stock mixture to the veg along with the chicken. Season and bring back to a simmer.
  5. Meanwhile, for the dumplings, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the suet and parsley, then add 75-100ml cold water – just enough to make a soft, sticky dough. Using a spoon, divide the mixture into equal-size balls and drop them on top of the stew. Cover and simmer for a further 20 minutes until the dumplings have puffed up and a skewer inserted into one comes out clean. Serve the stew in deep bowls.

Nutrition

Calories
556kcals
Fat
23.1g (11.3g saturated)
Protein
42.3g
Carbohydrates
44.3g (10.8g sugars)
Fibre
8g
Salt
1.6g

delicious. tips

  1. Add any other root veg you like along with the leeks and carrots – we love parsnips or swede.

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