Full question
Can I use rice instead of barley in the Chicken Barley? Would you use same amounts ie 175g rice and same liquid ie 1 and 1/2 pints and still cook for 1 hour and ditto for pasta instead of barley? Also, could I use 6 chicken breasts instead of legs? Thank you!
Our answer
NIgella's Chicken Barley (from AT MY TABLE) is a comforting dish that is "pottage" or a cross between a soup and a stew. The dish cooks for around an hour, which is enough for the chicken to cook until it is falling off the bone and the barley to cook until it is soft but still has a little chew.
Converting to rice is slightly tricky as rice absorbs a lot less liquid than barley and also cooks maire quickly. If rice is cooked for a long time it will become very mushy and porridge-like, which is good for some dishes - such as congee - but does not really suit this dish. If you were to use rice then you would need to reduce the liquid but then you may not have anough liquid to cover the chicken so that it cooks properly. So rice is not ideal but if you need to use rice then add it only 10-15 minutes before the end of the cooking time and expect the dish to be more soupy. You can use the same amount of rice for 6 generous servings. You could use chicken breasts but in our experience the flavour and texture of chicken breasts cooked this way is not as good as chicken legs or thighs. If you want to use pasta, we would suggest instead trying Nigella's Chicken In A Pot With Lemon And Orzo.
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