Chicken Mushroom Barley Soup

Submitted by Abba Gimel

"a twist on chicken soup & mushroom barley soup that will literally make your taste buds come alive! These ingredients came together after I cleaned the refrigerator."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 leek
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1⁄2 cup fresh rosemary (you will be amazed how much flavor it adds wait till you taste it) or 1/4 chopped rosemary (you will be amazed how much flavor it adds wait till you taste it)
• olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup white wine
• 3 quarts chicken broth
• 1 1⁄2 lbs white button mushrooms
• 1⁄2 cup pearl barley
• 1 1⁄2 lbs chicken breasts
• pepper
• 1 sprig thyme
• bay leaf
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery

directions

1. Mince garlic; slice leek longways then chop.
2. Place a standard dutch oven(or soup pot if you don't have a dutch oven) on the stove top.
3. Add a splash of olive oil, garlic, leek, onion and rosemary and saute over medium high heat for several minutes.
4. Add white wine and stir gently for one minute.
5. Add chicken broth, mushrooms, bay leaves, carrots, celery,and barley and increase heat slightly. Stir occasionally until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
6. Chop chicken into strips. Add a splash of olive oil to a frying pan and brown chicken on both sides. While chicken is cooking, season with pepper & thyme.
7. Add chicken to soup mixture. Again bring mixture to a boil. After it reaches the boiling stage, reduce heat to simmer and partially cover.
8. Cook approximately 30 minutes (stirring occasionally) to insure chicken is cooked through.

Reviews

[Outta Here]

Delicious soup! I took a couple of liberties with the recipe. I halved the recipe. I used a combination of button and shiitake mushrooms, and added 1/2 can of diced tomatoes I needed to use up. Also used breast and thigh meat. The rosemary really does add a lot of flavor to this. I used fresh from the garden. Very similar to a soup my grandmother used to make. This will be made again! Made for Spring 2010 PAC.

 

[livingstonfran]

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I love soups and I have just started trying to keep my carbs at 20 per meal so I was excited to find this recipe. I tried to keep to your recipes but had to make some adjustments for the ingredients that I had on hand. I had a whole chicken so I gently simmered it with onions, carrots, celery,black peppercorns and garlic. I also put thyme, rosemary and bay leaves in at this time. When the chicken was done and cooled it was deboned. I strained the cooking liquid and fortified the stock with Better than Bouillon for chicken ( about 3 tablespoons.) I re seasoned with more rosemary, thyme, sage, a bay leaf and marjoram. I only had dry spices and herbs so that is what I used. I added the sage and marjoram for my tastes. I cooked the barley for 30 minutes and then added the carrots and celery and then the sauteed leeks and mushrooms. I continued cooking for another 30 minutes and then added the cooked chicken. I had to simmer just a little longer to get the barley perfect, which I think was 10 minutes. We both loved this soup and it is a keeper and one that we will have often. I can not thank you enough for this delightful dish.

 

[jnader]

This soup is DE-LISH! Add all the rosemary as recommended and use a combo of light and dark meat. I made this for a couple whose wife was recuperating from surgery last year and they still compliment me on this soup. Yum! Yum! BTW, I have added baby kale to this and it's very good, also.