Orange Chicken with Barley

When you’re sifting through a cookbook, do you ever stumble upon a recipe that looks so strange, you just have to try it?

That happens to me all the time. I think when a recipe look so weird that you’re intrigued—you have to make it. It helps with creativity in the kitchen, and always makes me try new things and flavors I could have never concocted on my own.

That’s precisely how this recipe came about. The recipe in the booklet I just got looked so strange, with so many things going on, I knew I had to try my hand at it. I changed up a few things, but really stuck with the original recipe. And you know what? It actually works.

I’ve never cooked with orange juice before, and have only used barley once or twice in my life, but now I’m concerned I haven’t been doing those things often enough! This one pot meal (I’m on a roll with those lately, aren’t I?) reminded me of a sweet and savory oatmeal…in a good, weird way.

And let’s talk about parsnips for a quick sec. Have you ever used them before? They’re in my list of all time favorite root vegetables. Parsnips, turnips, rutabagas…they’re all rarely used in American kitchens anymore, and I hope to change that. Parsnips have such a great flavor. It’s like a sweet, fennel-y, perfumey flavor that I can’t get enough of. Why don’t more people eat these sweet sticks of flavor??

All in all, this is definitely a dish I would make again. I think it would be a wonderful dinner to eat during the winter months since it’s so filling and hearty. So, I’m marking this down on my calendar. I’ve got to eat this again!

Orange Chicken with Barley

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1 hr
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A hearty, healthy one-pot dinner that is sweet and savory. Chicken, parsnips, carrots and mushrooms with barley in a thick orange sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 lb. chicken breast tenders
• 1 TBS. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 TBS. butter
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups orange juice
• 3 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups pearl barley
• 2 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Place chicken in a large resealable bag with flour, cayenne, pepper and salt. Shake until chicken is well coated.
2. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and pan-fry until golden, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
3. Melt butter in same Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add the broth, orange juice, parsnips, barley, mushrooms, carrots and bay leaves. Stir, and then add the chicken back to the pan.
4. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Let mixture simmer for 45-50 minutes or until barley is tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Place chicken in a large resealable bag with flour, cayenne, pepper and salt. Shake until chicken is well coated. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and pan-fry until golden, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Melt butter in same Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 4-5 minutes or until tender.

Add the broth, orange juice, parsnips, barley, mushrooms, carrots and bay leaves. Stir, and then add the chicken back to the pan. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Let mixture simmer for 45-50 minutes or until barley is tender, stirring occasionally.