Braised Rosemary Chicken With Vegetables

Source: The World's Healthiest Foods

This delicious tasting substantial one dish meal is full of nutritional benefits. It can be made easily, and the fresh herbs add a great tasting Mediterranean flavor. Our stovetop braising method is not only fast but it is a healthier way of cooking that is lighter with less fat.

¼ cup pearl barley
1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced medium thick
5 cloves garlic, chopped
4 skinless chicken thighs, skin removed
1 medium red bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
1 cup carrots, sliced medium thick
2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced medium thick
1 TBS tomato paste
2 cups + 1 TBS chicken broth
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 TBS fresh rosemary, chopped
2 TBS fresh thyme, chopped
15 oz can navy beans, drained
Salt & pepper to taste

Soak barley in a bowl of water while preparing rest of ingredients.

Chop and cut onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrots and mushrooms. Strain barley and discard water.

Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium size braising pan or wide soup pot.Sauté onion in broth for 3-4 minutes over medium heat stirring frequently.

Add garlic, bell pepper, carrots, barley and mushrooms. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes stirring. Place chicken thighs on top of vegetables.

In a separate small bowl mix tomato paste with broth and lemon juice, and pour over chicken and vegetables.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes.

Add beans, herbs, salt and pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until chicken and vegetables are tender. This is our Stovetop Braising cooking method.

Serves 4

Serve with:
Sautéed Greens (recipe follows)


Healthy Cooking Tips: The vegetables are cut medium thick so they don’t over cook before the barley is done. You want the vegetables to become tender throughout since this is a stew and it has more flavor if the ingredients can have more time to infuse with one another. But you don’t want mush for vegetables from being over cooked. The best way to avoid either is to cut them the size asked for. The peppers are 1inch pieces. The sliced carrots and mushrooms should be about ½ inch thick. Also, this dish would cook faster if the thighs were boneless, but would not have near as a good a flavor, so use skinless thighs with the bone in. This also gives the barley a chance to fully cook. Make sure the herbs are fresh and not added until 5 minutes before done. They will start to lose their flavor if added too soon. Check for tenderness of both the vegetables and chicken before adding the beans and herbs so they don’t get over cooked. They should be almost done.
 

Sautéed Greens

This recipe is a great tasting way of receiving the many health benefits of the super food kale. The leeks are a delicious complement, and this dish can be made very easily, so you can have it often. Adding the oil at the end gives it a rich taste without heating it, making this even healthier than most sautéed greens.

1 cup sliced leeks, about 1 leek
4 cups chopped kale
1/4 cup + 1 TBS chicken or vegetable broth
3 medium cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat 1 TBS broth in a 10-12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté sliced leeks in broth over medium low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add kale, ¼ cup broth, cover and simmer on low heat for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Toss with pressed garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Serves 2