When it comes to making grain bowls, you can never go wrong with barley, crispy chicken, and an assortment of seasonal veggies. I photographed this recipe kind-of plain… this was done on purpose so you could be creative and build your own bowls to your liking. Don’t fret, I won’t leave you hangin’, I’ve listed some topping suggestions within the blog post below!
I’ve always been a “kitchen-sink” gal, using up whatever I have on hand to make up flavorful recipes on a whim. I’ll take a little bit of this, a little of that, and make a marvelous meal. Since I cook for several client’s multiple times per month… I’ll usually have a little bit of leftover ingredients that I need to use up. If you’ve got some remaining chicken or cornflakes after trying this recipe, go ahead and make my Shredded Chicken Jalapeño Poppers Dip. Whenever you have extra grape tomatoes on hand, give these Blistered Tomatoes For Any Occasion a whirl! Of course, if you want more chicken inspiration for meal prep, lunch, or dinner… go ahead and click here for oodles of ideas!
WATCH OUR VIDEO ON THE GRAM!
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE:
I had some barley in my pantry that I used for this Chicken, Berry, Feta, and Arugula Salad with Sumac Dressing. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to use it again in today’s recipe! If you don’t have barley at home, go ahead and substitute with quinoa, farro, pearled couscous, millet, brown or wild rice. They’d all taste fantastic. Here’s what you’ll need to create my version of these bowls:
FOR THE CRISPY CHICKEN:
- Springer Mountain Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Cornflakes
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Grated Parmesan
- Olive Oil
TO ASSEMLE THE GRAIN BOWLS:
- Pearled Barley
- Chicken Broth
- Water
- Grape Tomatoes
- Shredded Lettuce
- Fresh Herbs (Chives, Cilantro, Parsley, etc.)
NUTTY GREEN GODDESS DRESSING:
- Mayonnaise
- Greek Yogurt
- Basil Leaves
- Cilantro
- Chives
- Capers
- Lemon Juice
- Agave Nectar
- Garlic
- Walnuts
Personally, I love making up my own dressings. While I love this Nutty Green Goddess with this meal, you could also use my Alabama White Sauce, Creamy Za’atar, or this Creamy Italian!
MORE TOPPINGS TO ADD TO YOUR GRAIN BOWL:
This is great just the way it is, but whenever I have the following ingredients handy, I’ll usually add these as well!
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Bell Peppers
- Broccoli
- Butter Beans
- Chickpeas
- Cojita Cheese Crumbles
- Feta Crumbles
- Goat Cheese Crumbles
- Jalapeño (Fresh or Pickled)
- Pepita Seeds (aka Pumpkin Seeds)
- Red Onion (Fresh or Pickled)
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts
Seriously, the possibilities are endless. If you add something you really love to this recipe, let me know in the comments so I can give it a try!
CHICKEN OPTIONS:
You can make this with skinless thighs, breasts, or tenders when baking with the cornflake breading. If you want to opt no-breading, Springer Mountain Farms also offers Fully Cooked Chipotle Lime Chicken Strips and Fully Cooked Grilled Breast Strips that you can simply toss into the grain bowls if you’re in a hurry or looking for a no-cook version!
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL SWOON OVER:
California-Inspired Chickpea Avocado Salad
Gochujang Chicken Thighs over Crispy Sushi Rice
Grilled Sesame Ginger Chicken with Scallions
Veggie-Packed Ginger Shrimp Buddha Bowl
Satay Peanut Butter Chicken Skewers
Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
Mediterranean Savory Breakfast Bowl with Quinoa
Our Favorite Korean Chicken Recipe
The Juiciest Air Fryer Fried Chicken Bites
VIEW ALL RECIPES BY CLICKING HERE!
- 1 lb. Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup Buttermilk
- 3 cups Cornflakes, crushed
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
- ¼ cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 - 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 2 cups Cooked Pearled Barley
- 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
- Shredded Lettuce, as desired
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
- ¾ cup Basil Leaves
- ¼ cup Cilantro
- 2 tbsp. Chopped Chives + more for garnish
- 2 tbsp. Drained Capers
- 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp. Agave Nectar
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 3 tbsp. Shelled Walnuts + more for garnish
- Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch chunks and set aside. In one bowl, beat two eggs and buttermilk together until combined. In a second bowl, mix together the crushed cornflakes, garlic powder, dried oregano, and grated parmesan.
- Dunk each chicken chunk in the egg-buttermilk mixture and then toss in the crushed cornflake mixture to coat. Arrange each piece on a lined baking sheet until you are finished with the remaining chicken. Drizzle each piece with a little olive oil and transfer to a wire rack nestled inside a sheet pan for baking.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the chicken chunks for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden on the outside and 165F on the inside.
- While the chicken bakes, cook the barley according to package directions, prep the tomatoes, and shred the lettuce. Set aside. Then place all ingredients for the nutty green goddess dressing in a food processor. Pulse until fully blended and smooth.
- To assemble the grain bowls, simply place the barley, lettuce, and tomatoes on the bottom of the bowl and top with the crispy chicken chunks. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and add any additional toppings that I listed previously in the blog post. Enjoy immediately.
NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:
- I prefer to bake my chicken on a wire rack, so the heat circulates around the whole chunk, this way you don’t need to flip them halfway through baking. If you don’t have a wire rack, go ahead and bake the chicken on a lined baking sheet, and make sure to flip the chunks halfway through baking.
- Air Fryer Instructions: Preheat to 400F. Air fry for 4-5 minutes, flip the chicken chunks, then bake an additional 4-5 minutes. They will cook faster in the air fryer because it’s a smaller unit verses an oven. Just be sure the internal temp is 165F before removing for consumption.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own with 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir both together and allow to sit for 5 – 1o minutes before using.
- This recipe servings sometimes serves 2 meals… other times it’ll serve 4 meals. It really depends on the appetite of who you’re serving. For instance, this would last me 4 meals… but my husband would probably eat it in 2. Plan accordingly!
This post is sponsored in partnership with Springer Mountain Farms. Per the usual, all opinions here are mine alone and I would never recommend a product that I did not immensely enjoy myself. Thank you for supporting the brands that support SliceOfJess.com!
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