Spring Chicken & Barley Soup

JanuaryBride's Note:

A light, barley soup. . .perfect for Spring and Summer. This is a high fiber, low fat and heart healthy soup. Recipe originally from Eating Well Magazine, but switched up a bit after making! Feel free to add some salt free all purpose seasoning or Italian Seasoning in the last 5 minutes of cooking; I used Don's Flavor Enhancer With Very Low Sodium with great results. The orange peel is the secret ingredient in this recipe. . .brightens it right up!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 8.0 cups

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large chicken breast , skin removed, trimmed (8-10 ounces)
• 1⁄3; cup pearl barley
• 1⁄3; cup shredded fresh spinach
• 1⁄3; cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup trimmed and diagonally sliced asparagus (1/4 inch thick)
• ½ cup thawed frozen peas
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• fresh ground pepper
• ½ cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaf
• 1 strip orange zest (1/2 by 2 inches)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 4 minutes.
2. Add garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add broth, chicken and barley. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon.
4. Return the broth to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, shred the chicken or cut into bite-size pieces; discard the bone.
6. When the barley is done, add the chicken, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes with juice, asparagus, peas, salt and a grinding of pepper; return to a simmer.
7. Cover and cook over low heat until the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more.
8. Gather basil and orange zest and finely chop together.
9. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a generous pinch of the basil mixture.

Reviews

[ratherbeswimmin']

Superb soup. Really, I can't rave enough about it. Lovely combination of ingredients; especially liked the asparagus. The basil/orange to finish is quite unique and interesting. I used two skinless chicken thighs, instead of breast. Thanks for posting this; will make again.

[mersaydees]

Made as directed and love it. This is a staple soup with its protein and veggies! I think it tastes great even the next day. Thanks, JB! Made for Aussie New Zealand Recipe Swap.

[yogiclarebear]

What a beautiful flavor! I'll admit, I'm a bit of a salt fanatic in soups...but I only added what was written to this soup. WOW! Forget the salt...the orange makes this soup. I added a few extra veggies- fresh carrots, which I added in step one. I also used sliced sugar snap peas with the pods instead of frozen peas, and added them with the broth to boil. Since I used quick barley, I added it toward the end. My chicken was already cleaned and diced from breasts, so I just boiled it with the soup. Extra broth to compensate for the extra veggies and chicken...and the zest of a whole orange. SO GOOD!