Chicken with Greek Pearl Barley

Combine the lemon juice, a third of the olive oil and a generous grind of black pepper in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken breast fillets and toss to coat well. Set aside.

Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve under running water. Add to a large saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until soft in texture but slightly chewy. You may need to add more boiling water if it runs dry. Drain any excess water from the pearl barley.

Meanwhile, bash half of the parsley, the remaining olive oil and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle until well combined. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can achieve a similar result by finely chopping the ingredients). Set aside.

Heat a medium frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast fillets to the pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Set aside for 5 minutes and thinly slice.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked pearl barley with the tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, and remaining parsley. Stir through the parsley oil and season to taste.