Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken & Pearl Barley Risotto

It is no secret that I am a true lover of all types of risotto and this Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken & Pearl Barley Risotto is a great way to have a fantastic risotto dish with a pearl barley twist.

Using pearl barley is much healthier than using traditional risotto rice types such as Arborio rice, Carnaroli or the shorter-grain risotto rice, Vialone Niro but luckily, as the barley requires a longer cooking time than traditional risotto rice, the slow cooker is the perfect way to have a fantastic risotto whilst having most, if not all, of the work done for you.

From a Slim-Friendly point of view, the body takes longer to process these types of grains therefore not only is this a healthier option for your risotto, but it will also keep you fuller for longer too.

Ingredients:

Fry-Light Spray Oil: Using Fry-Light spray oil or a few sprays of low-calorie oil makes this dish so much healthier than a standard risotto without losing out on the natural creamy starch released from the pearl barley.

Chicken Breast: I use a couple of medium-sized chicken breast pieces and slice them into strips. You can if you wish cook your chicken in the oven and add it by layering on the top of the finished risotto when serving up but I like to add all the ingredients to the crockpot and let the slow cooker do all the hard work for me.

Mirepoix – Diced Carrots, Onions and Celery

A mirepoix base is made from diced vegetables, typically, carrots, onions and celery and cooked, usually with butter, oil, or other fat—for a long time on low heat without colouring or browning. I simply use fry-light or low-calorie spray oil and a little water to help Sautee the Mirepoix mix. I usually use the base mix of three ingredients:

Onions: I prefer to add diced red onion in this dish to help keep that deep colour throughout the risotto but to be honest, you can use any type of onion you want, and if I was not using a red onion, I would probably opt for some diced banana shallots.

Carrots: I simply use shop-bought carrots diced into similar-sized chunks as the onions.

Celery: I use a couple of sticks of celery and dice it into similar-sized pieces as the onion and carrots.

Garlic: I prefer to thinly slice the garlic into shards and add it to the pot. This adds another light layer of texture to the risotto however, it is your dish, and it works just as well with crushed garlic if you prefer.

Red Chillies: 2 Chillies, deseeded and sliced will be enough to bring a lovely heat to the dish but if you prefer your dish a little spicier, leave the seeds in the chillies when slicing.

Red Bell Peppers: It is completely up to you what peppers you add to your risotto but I like to use red peppers for two reasons, the first of which being that red peppers tend to have a lovely sweetness to them that I prefer in my dish to help as a contrast to the sharpness that you can sometimes get from some types of onion. The other reason is colour, I love that vibrant look and feel to my risotto that can make you feel that you are somewhere else enjoying the beautiful flavours of South America.

Spices: To make my Cajun spice mix I simply combine some Sweet Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Turmeric (purely to add a little colour), Dried Oregano, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt, & Ground black Pepper. If you do not have some of these ingredients in your cupboard, you can also simply use some shop-bought Cajun Spice mix.

Tomatoes:  I use chopped tomatoes purely to add texture to the dish but sieved or crushed tomatoes work just as well.

Kidney Beans & Mixed Beans: Completely dependant on what I have to hand in my store cupboard at the time that I am making this dish,  I use either a five-bean mix in or kidney beans on their own in my risotto but using cannellini beans, red beans,  pinto or even black beans will work too and is completely up to you.

Grains or Rice: For this dish, I am using Pearl Barley as an alternative to Arborio of Carnaroli rice as it is just as creamy, and has a lovely texture to it but it takes a little longer to cook than risotto rice types, it makes it perfect for my slow cooker. All of this being sad, if you don’t want to use pearl barley, standard risotto rice such as Arborio and Carnaroli rice will work just as well and can also be cooked on the stovetop.

Stock: I make my base stock with a couple of Knorr vegetable stockpots and some boiling water. Again this is just a preference choice and you can use whichever stock that you wish.

Remember…  Using a good quality stock means that you end up with a great quality tasting risotto!

Parmesan cheese: This one really is an optional ingredient as the risotto barley will already be creamy due to the release of the starch within the grains during the cooking process but I think that it really does add a little flavourful finish to the dish.

Fresh Herbs: I like to use some freshly chopped parsley to bring a little contracting colour to the finished dish.

Bringing it all together:

Add a few sprays of Fry-Light or low calory spray oil to a frying pan on medium-high heat, add the Mirepoix base mix of diced onions, celery and carrots and Sauté for 5-6 minutes stirring occasionality to ensure that all of the vegetable mix is cooking evenly. If the pan becomes a little dry, add a splash of water to help sauté the base mix.

Add the spice mix, sliced chicken and pearl barley to the frying pan, and continue to cook out until the spices have released their flavours and have coated all of the chicken pieces and barley. Transfer to a pre-heated slow cooker.

Add the chopped or sieved tomatoes, beans, garlic, sliced chillies, diced red peppers and vegetable stock to the slow cooker, season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, cover and cook on high power setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pearl barley has absorbed most of the liquid and become slightly andante (cooked but still a little firm to the bite)

Remove from the heat and if using the option grated parmesan cheese ingredient, stir in until fully combined. Add the fresh parsley and just seasoning where required and serve.

Once completely cooled, your risotto will keep in the fridge for up to 3

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken & Pearl Barley Risotto

Recipe by Steve WalkerCourse: Featured, Latest, Mediterranean, Rice Dishes, Slimming Friendly, Slow-Cooker, VeganDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6
servings

Prep time

15
minutes

Cooking Time

2-3
Hours

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken & Pearl Barley Risotto is a great way to have a fantastic risotto dish with a pearl barley twist.

Ingredients

• Fry-Light Spray Oil.

• Chicken Breast.

• 1 Medium onion, diced.

• Garlic, sliced or crushed.

• 1 Large carrot, diced.

• 2 Celery sticks, diced.

• 2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced.

• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

• 1 Tin mixed beans or kidney beans

• 1 Tin Chopped or sieved tomatoes

• 300g Pearl Barley

• 50g Parmesan, grated (Optional)

• Salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste

• Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

• 1 Tsp. Sweet Paprika.

• 1/2 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper.

• 1/2 Tsp. Turmeric (optional for colour).

• 1 Tsp. Dried oregano.

• 1/2 Tsp. Garlic powder.

• 1//2 Tsp. Onion powder.

• 1/2 Tsp. table salt

• 1/2 Tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

• Add a few sprays of Fry-Light or low calory spray oil to a frying pan on medium-high heat, add the Mirepoix base mix of diced onions, celery and carrots and Sauté for 5-6 minutes stirring occasionality to ensure that all of the mix is cooking evenly. If the pan becomes a little dry, add a splash of water to help sauté the base mix.
• Add the spice mix, sliced chicken and pearl barley to the frying pan, and continue to cook out until the spices have released their flavours and have coated all of the chicken pieces and barley. Transfer to a pre-heated slow cooker.
• Add the chopped or sieved tomatoes, beans, garlic, sliced chillies, diced red peppers and vegetable stock to the slow cooker, season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, cover and cook on high power setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pearl barley has absorbed most of the liquid and become slightly andante (cooked but still a little firm to the bite).
• Remove from the heat and if using the option grated parmesan cheese ingredient, stir in until fully combined. Add the fresh parsley and just seasoning where required and serve.

Notes

• If the pan becomes a little dry during the sautéing of the diced vegetable mix, add a splash of water to help sauté the mix.
• The better the vegetable stock you use, the better and tastier the finished dish.
• If you do not have some of these ingredients in your cupboard, you can also simply use some shop-bought Cajun Spice mix.
• If you don’t want to use pearl barley, standard risotto rice such as Arborio and Carnaroli rice will work just as well and can also be cooked on the stovetop.
• Parmesan cheese is an optional ingredient as the risotto barley will already be creamy due to the release of the starch within the grains during the cooking process but I think that it really does add a little flavourful finish to the dish.

Plan-ahead & cook-ahead meals:

This risotto dish is also great as a batch-cooking and freezing dish. Wait until the risotto has cooled completely before transferring it to freezer-friendly containers. You can freeze this dish for up to 12 weeks and you must allow the dish to thaw completely, preferably overnight before reheating.

To reheat, you can use either a microwave or a cooking pot. As risotto rice and barley continue to absorb moisture, you may need to add some additional liquid to the pot or container during the reheating to loosen off the risotto.

Do you need to pre-soak the pearl barley?

No, you don’t need to soak the pearl barley before use, it will get tender while cooking and absorbing the vegetable stock. The cooking time of pearl barley is shorter than regular barley and only needs about 30 minutes of cooking time.

Can I reheat the pearl barley risotto?

Yes, pearl barley risotto holds better than regular rice risotto, so you can make it ahead or as meal-prep, and then just reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. Bear in mind that as it cools, it will soak up the liquids and may get dry – I like to just add a splash of water when reheating it.