Food and Recipes Quick and Easy Dinner Quick Chicken and Barley Stew Recipe 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews This chicken stew is filled with good-for-you vegetables and whole grains. Perfect for those first cool nights of autumn, this savory and satisfying stew tastes like it simmered for hours on the stovetop. It will actually take you just thirty minutes to have these bowls of goodness, at just 469 calories a serving, on the family supper table, which makes it the perfect meal for busy weeknights. Pieces of bacon add smoky richness to this stew, but you can make the dish even lighter by omitting it. Quick-Cooking Barley looks like oats when uncooked, but it will plump up in the broth for substance and fiber; and the wilted spinach is a great addition. This hearty stew is full of fresh flavors that work with each other to make up a dynamic dish that won't take you all day to cook, but wins with your crew every time. By Adam Dolge Adam Dolge Adam Dolge is a recipe developer, test cook and award-winning journalist with nearly 20 years experience writing for newspapers, magazines and websites. He graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America and his work has appeared in many national food magazines and websites, including Southern Living, EatingWell, Real Simple, and Food & Wine. Follow him on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 14, 2017 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 4 serves Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 3 bacon slices 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion) 1 cup 1/4-inch-thick diagonally cut carrots (about 2 medium carrots) 1 cup 1/4-inch-thick diagonally cut celery (about 3 stalks) 1 tablespoon garlic cloves, minced (about 3 garlic cloves) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 4 (6-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley 1 (8-oz.) package baby spinach 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium until crisp, about 6 minutes, turning once. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add olive oil to drippings in Dutch oven; increase heat to medium-high. Add yellow onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, kosher salt, and pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken and broth to Dutch oven. Cook on medium-high until broth begins to boil, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in barley, and cook until chicken is cooked through and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads 165°F, about 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove chicken, shred into large pieces, and return to Dutch oven. Add spinach, and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in parsley; top each serving with crumbled bacon. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 469 Calories 12g Fat 41g Carbs 51g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Calories 469 % Daily Value * Total Fat 12g 15% Total Carbohydrate 41g 15% Dietary Fiber 7g 25% Protein 51g *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.