New England Soup Factory's Sweet Potato Chicken Barley Soup

winkki's Note:

Another unique but wonderfully filling soup from the New England Soup Factory - very thick and hearty! (Prep time does not include poaching chicken; this would be a great way to use leftovers!) Found online.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large Spanish onion , peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• ½ cup celery , diced
• 3 cups carrots , sliced
• 2 parsnips , grated
• 4 large sweet potatoes , peeled and diced
• 1 ¼ cups pearl barley
• 2 ½-3 quarts chicken stock
• 3 cups chicken , poached and diced
• ¼ cup freshly chopped dill
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy stock pot.
2. Saute garlic, onions, celery and carrot for 8 minutes.
3. Add parsnips, barley, chicken and chicken stock.
4. Bring to a boil; simmer on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
5. Add the sweet potatoes and cook an additional 30 minutes.
6. Add dill and season.

Reviews

[Whipper]

It's been a really long time since I bothered to write a review for anything here, but I just had to let everyone know how wonderful this soup is! It really stands out from the crowd, that's for sure. We especially loved the fresh dill. Very hearty and rustic. It has a taste of the "old country" to me, like an Eastern European dish. Thank you for this major keeper!

[bitch'n kitchen]

I followed the recipe as far as ingredients go but changed the technique as pr chef friend's instructions. I sauteed the onion, carrots, and celery for 20 min then added the grated parsnip and sauteed all that for another 10 min. Then I added finely chopped sweet potatoes and sauteed that another 10 min. This all helps build flavors. Then I added broth and cooked it just until sweet potatoes were cooked and not falling apart. I cooked the barley separately so I had more control over the thickness of the final product. I added the barley along with the cooking water it was in to add the thickness you get when using barley in a soup. I would say I used more broth than the recipe called for. Like other reviewers I found it a little bland. I added some parsley at the end and that helped visually as well as the taste. It is a hearty, healthy soup and it makes a TON of soup. Lucky I had lots of people to share it with. I will update this review with their comments later.

[KitiKat1]

This was SO good. I had never tried sweet potatoes before this recipe (love them now). I would not use the dill again even though I like dill a lot. Thanks for something new :)