Pearl Barley with Red Kuri Squash & Chicken

📝 Ingredients

• 240 g pearl barley
• 600 g red kuri squash, deseeded, skin on (about ½ medium squash)
• 500 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6 pieces of about 85 g)
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 chicken stock cubes + 1 litre hot water
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the chicken, 1 for the onion)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 40 g grated Parmesan
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Casserole dish or large sauté pan
• Chopping board and large knife
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Colander
• Measuring jug

📖 Steps

1. Wash the squash and cut it in half with a large knife, holding it steady on the board. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut 600 g of flesh into 1.5 cm cubes, without peeling: the skin becomes meltingly tender as it cooks.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Cut the thighs into 3 cm pieces, trimming off any fat. Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve and dissolve the stock cubes in 1 litre hot water in a jug.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until well coloured on all sides (it will finish cooking later), then set aside on a plate.
4. Reduce to a medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil, the onion and garlic and soften for 4 minutes, scraping up the sticky bits from the bottom. Add the barley and thyme, then stir for 1 minute to coat the grains well in the fat.
5. Pour in half the hot stock and add the squash and the chicken with its juices. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 to 35 minutes over a low heat, half-covered, stirring every 5 minutes and adding a ladle of stock as soon as the liquid is almost absorbed.
6. The barley is done when it is tender but still has a slight bite, and the squash is starting to break down into an orange cream. Crush a few cubes against the side of the pan with the spoon to make it all creamier.
7. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, season with pepper and taste before adding salt: the stock and cheese are already salty. Cover and leave to rest for 3 minutes. The texture should be loose and creamy like a risotto; if it is too thick, add a splash of hot water.
8. Serve in warmed shallow bowls. The barley keeps absorbing liquid as it cools, so it is normal for the dish to thicken if it waits a little before serving.