Chicken and Barley Pilaf

My friend, Joy, brought this meal to us after my daughter was born and I loved it so much, I asked her for the recipe the next day! It's super simple and certainly a budget-friendly dish. We enjoyed it with these carrots.


1/4 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 small onion, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dry sherry
1-2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 (13.75 ounces) cans chicken broth
1 cup pearl barley
2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp chopped, fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in an oven safe large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms have softened and released their liquid, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the sherry, and simmer for 1 minute. Add the cooked chicken, chicken broth, barley, and basil; bring to a boil over high heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and boil for 5 minutes.

Cover the Dutch oven, and place into the preheated oven. Bake until the barley is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in chopped parsley before serving.