Barley Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, fat removed and meat finely chopped
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 12 button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup barley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 dark meat chicken pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large skillet, fry bacon until browned. Reserve bacon fat for sauteeing chicken later. Add onions and carrots to skillet and saute 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, stock, barley, thyme, marjoram, parsley, bay leaf and pepper to taste. Mix all together and spread mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Add green bell pepper on top and stir to settle.

Heat reserved bacon fat in skillet and brown chicken. Place browned chicken on top of barley mixture, cover baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.