Gino D’Acampo’s one-pot roast chicken with pearl barley, white wine and peas

“I always love recipes that can be made in one pot, as there is very little mess or washing up, and this one looks great,” says Gino D’Acampo, who describes this as a “perfect one-pot dish, with vegetables, pulses and protein. It’s a good recipe to make if you are having guests over, as you can just leave it in the oven cooking for an hour while you socialise and have a few glasses of prosecco.”

One-pot roast chicken with pearl barley, white wine and peas

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

1 tbsp sunflower oil

8 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, total weight about 1.5kg

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped

225g pearl barley

200ml white wine

4 rosemary sprigs

800ml hot chicken or vegetable stock

Juice of ½ lemon

150g frozen peas, defrosted

Bunch of parsley leaves, finely chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/Gas 2.

2. Pour the oil into a flameproof casserole dish and place over a high heat. Add the chicken, skin side up, and fry for 4 minutes. Season the skin with a large pinch of salt and pepper and turn the thighs over. Fry for a further 4 minutes until golden. Remove the thighs and place skin side up on a plate.

3. Put the carrots and onion into the casserole, sprinkle over 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper and fry for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Stir in the pearl barley for 1 minute, then pour in the wine. Stir and allow the alcohol to evaporate for about 1 minute. Add the rosemary and pour over the hot stock. Stir, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the dish from the heat and stir the barley. Place the chicken thighs on top of the barley, skin side up, and cook in the middle of the oven, uncovered, for 55 minutes.

5. Take the dish out of the oven, remove the chicken thighs and place on a plate. Remove and discard the rosemary. Pour the lemon juice and peas into the barley mixture and stir well. Check for seasoning.

6. Place the chicken back on top of the barley and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes.

Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make By Gino D’Acampo is published by Bloomsbury, priced £25. Photography by Haarala Hamilton.