Smoked chicken, pot barley & cranberry salad
By Diana Henry
Make this smoky, sweet salad for a filling midweek meal. If you can't find smoked chicken, regular chicken tastes great too
-
Prep:25 mins
Cook:20 mins
plus overnight soaking and cooling - Easy
Nutrition per serving
-
kcal 423
-
fat 22g
-
saturates 3g
-
carbs 41g
-
sugars 12g
-
fibre 3g
-
protein 13g
-
salt 1.2g
Ingredients
- 200g pot barley, soaked overnight, or pearl barley
- 50g dried cranberries
- 200g green beans, halved
- 1 red-skinned pear
- 1⁄2 lemon, juiced
- 50g pecans, lightly toasted
- 50g lamb’s lettuce
- small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 250g smoked chicken, sliced or torn into chunks
- 1½ tbsp cider vinegar
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp hazelnut or walnut oil
Tip
Swap chicken for duckSmoked duck or seared and roasted duck breast (cooked until still pink) are lovely in this salad too.
Method
Put the soaked pot barley in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil, or cook the pearl barley following pack instructions. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender but retains a little firmness, about 10-15 mins. Drain and leave to cool completely. Meanwhile, put the cranberries in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to plump up for 20 mins.
Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together with a fork. Taste for balance – it should be slightly sweet. Add more vinegar or maple syrup, if you like.
Cook the beans in boiling water for 1-2 mins or until they’re tender but still have a little bite. Drain and run cold water over them to help them keep their bright colour. Drain the cranberries and pat them dry with a tea towel. Core, quarter and slice the pear, then toss the slices with the lemon juice.
Put the drained barley, beans, cranberries, pear, pecans, lamb’s lettuce, parsley and chicken into a broad, shallow serving bowl with the dressing. Gently toss everything together and serve.
