Tis the Season for Simmering Soups

When I was a kid my mom sometimes made beef barley soup.  It was so warm, so comforting...I have the recipe, but I've never made it myself.  One of these days I might, but I think part of me really doesn't want to screw up that memory and association with my mom.

Click to see the recipe on Allrecipes.com!

I bought a box of barley on clearance at the grocery store a while back without any real purpose for it in mind and it's just been hanging out in my pantry, getting shoved farther and farther to the back behind all of the other random ingredients I haven't found the time to play with yet.  I can't think of any time I've ever actually eaten barley aside from my mom's soup!  No wonder it was on clearance!

With my pantry getting messy and far too full, I decided to find a use for that barley.  I came across a recipe for chicken barley soup and decided to give it a try- definitely a good decision!

It's so easy to make and very flavorful.  The barley is filling and nutty, I really love it's chewy and pasta-like texture in soup and I'm sure I'll be using it again soon!

Chicken with Barley Soup

From Allrecipes.com

8 C water

2 lbs chicken thighs (I used breasts)

1 1/2 C chopped carrots

1 C chopped celery

1 onion, chopped

3/4 C pearl barley

3 bay leaves

1 cube chicken bouillon (I used 2)

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp rubbed sage

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp lemon juice

(I added 1/2 tsp garlic powder)

1. Combine water, chicken, and bay leaves in stock pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook at a simmer until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Remove chicken to a cutting board to cool.  Remove and discard bones, skin, and fat from chicken.    Cut remaining meat into bite-sized pieces.

3. Cool broth until fat congeals on surface.  Skim and discard fat.  

4. Return soup to heat; add carrots, celery, onion, barley, bay leaves, bouillon, poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and black pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to low, place cover on pot, and simmer until barley is cooked and vegetables are tender, 60-90 minutes.  Stir lemon juice into soup prior to serving.