Full question
I'd like to make Chicken in a pot with Orzo but substitute pearl barley. What quantity should I use, and when should I add it (Nigella notes it will take longer than orzo, but how much)?
Our answer
Nigella's Chicken In A Pot With Lemon And Orzo (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) poaches chicken with vegetables. Orzo pasta is added towards the end of the cooking time and soaks up the stock that has been created by cooking the chicken and vegetables.
In the introduction to the recipe Nigella mentions alternatives to orzo pasta, including rice and barley. We would suggest using pearl barley as this cooks more quickly than hulled barley. You should use the same amount as for the pasta (300g/1¾ cups). In the oven pearl barley should take around 1 hour to cook though you may want to give it slightly longer, particularly as it retains its texture well when cooked. If you allow 1 hour of cooking time then you should let the chicken cook for an initial 45 minutes and then add the barley and cook for a further hour, but you can add it slightly earlier if you wish. Pearl barley absorbs about the same amount of liquid as pasta, so you should not need to adjust the amount of water added.
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