Easy Chicken and Barley Stew Slow Cooker UK Recipe

This easy chicken and barley stew. Is a one-pot, one-step slow cooker recipe, no pre-cook or browning required!

Using skinless bone-in chicken thighs. Boosted in flavour with a sun-dried tomato chilli pesto. And plenty of vegetables including peppers and peas. Which you can vary according to your family’s tastes and to what you have to hand.

For more slow cooker chicken recipes. See my list of posts included at the bottom of this post.

Easy Chicken and Barley Stew

I’ve used pearl barley in this slow cooker recipe, as it is a healthier alternative to rice. Plus it cooks more reliably and consistently in the slow cooker in comparison to rice. Cooking rice in the slow cooker can be tricky. Depending on the type of rice used. And the volume of liquid added (including the liquid of the other ingredients in the slow cooker pot). Whereas pearl barley is more predictable. So using barley in this stew makes it an easy and reliable one-pot slow cooker meal.

I’ve also used a ready-made red chilli pesto sauce for the main flavouring. This pesto is made with red peppers, tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes and chilli flakes. But you could use any other similar tomato-based jarred sauces. Such as a Moroccan harissa paste. Or just use tomato puree, if that’s what you have in.

Ingredients (3 to 4 slices)

• 600 g (6) chicken thighs, skin removed, bone-in.
• 2 rashers of crispy bacon, optional.
• 2 tsp chilli pesto.
• 100 g pearl barley, well rinsed.
• 1 to 2 red peppers, chopped.
• 1 celery stick, chopped.
• 2 medium spring onions, sliced.
• 500 ml boiling water.
• 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube, optional.
• Salt and pepper.
• To finish: 100 g defrosted peas and chopped fresh herbs e.g. parsley or basil.

I made this slow cooker chicken barley stew recipe in a Morphy Richards Accents Sear and Stew 3.5 L Slow Cooker (See my review).

Method (Total Cooking Time: Approx’ 3½ hours)

1. Add all of the ingredients except the peas and fresh herbs to the slow cooker pot. Stir well and push the chicken and barley into the stock. Cover and cook on Low for 3½ hours.
2. Check that the chicken and barley are full cooked. Turn off and take the slow cooker pot out of the base unit. Stir in the peas and herbs. Cover with the lid and leave to rest for 30 minutes. Serve.

Recipe Notes

1. You could also use turkey thigh instead of chicken.
2. Similarly you could replace the bacon with chopped cooked chorizo.
3. And use harissa instead of the pesto.

More Slow Cooker Chicken UK Recipes

For more slow cooker chicken UK recipes. You might like:
* Moroccan Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe with Home-Made Preserved Lemons.
* Chicken Curry in Slow Cooker with Jar Sauce.
* Cooking a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker – UK Recipe.
* Whole Chicken Curry in the Slow Cooker using a Jamie Oliver Recipe.
* Mary Berry Chicken Casserole in a Slow Cooker.

See also my latest Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes for ideas, adapted recipes and reviews.