Healthy one-pot meal: barley and chicken

I love barley - and like the lady says in the video, it has way more fiber and protein than brown rice. I also hear that it’s kinder from the glycemic index standpoint - in other words, it has real staying power to control your appetite. Barley is perfect for one pot meals just like this - healthy, filling, delicious and thrifty.

Bob’s Red Mill is a good brand of barley to buy, but there are a lot of brands out there. You should also know that the old European word for the toasted barley is Kasha - a staple of many Eastern European and Kosher dishes. So if you fancy a brand that is Kasha, go for it.

To keep this even healthier, remember to use a low sodium chicken broth. I always keep some cartons of chicken and vegetable broth in the pantry. You can also use the refrigerated “Better Than Broth” in jars, which is a bit saltier, so beware.

One of the great things about these type dishes is that you can ‘clean out’ the vegetable drawer, or use up meat from the freezer. Don’t be shy about substituting hamburger, chili meat, ground turkey, turkey tenders, pork ( cut up like for stew ), lamb or beef ( again, in a small stew chunk). Using up items you may already have makes this a really thrifty meal that can be scaled up or down. Leftovers can be combined with more broth, and enjoyed as a soup.

Browning the meat is important. Color is flavor, so take the time to really brown that meat nicely. The vegetables should only be cooked to the al dente stage. And talking about al dente, you can actually make your own version of Rice A Roni, by adding some broken up whole wheat spaghetti.

You should also remember that adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce and Kitchen Bouquet will give it some additional color and also that elusive ‘umami’ quality - the fifth flavor sense. This could also be accomplished with a bit of anchovy paste.

Another great addition would be some nice rinsed, canned chickpeas for a more middle eastern flair, combined with about a cup of freshly chopped parsley.

Get creative, and enjoy!

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