Chicken Barley Soup

The newest issue of Everyday Food Magazine is loaded with great recipes. This recipe is featured in the Dinner 1-2-3 section, a meal in three easy steps (I like easy). I was able to use celery, carrots (I added some purple ones for color), onion and thyme from garden.

CHICKEN BARLEY SOUP

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 carrots, diced small

4 celery stalks, diced small

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces

coarse salt and ground pepper

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

5 spring thyme

1 cup quick cooking barley*

5 ounces baby spinach (5 cups)

Easy Step #1

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring until chicken is opaque at edges, about 2 minutes.

Easy Step #2

Add broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Stir in barley. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until barley is tender and chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes**.

Easy Step #3

Add spinach and cook until wilted, 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

RATINGS:
Heather - 10 - "A definite keeper, I loved the spinach"
Brad - 9.5 - "The best soup you have ever made"

NOTES:
* I didn't have quick cooking barley so I used regular pot barley and cut it down to 1/2 cup
** I had to cook the soup longer since I was using the regular barley, it took about 30 minutes

FUNNY:
The purple carrots held their color nice for the initial cooking but when I put it in the fridge the carrots transferred their color to the barley and I ended up with purple barley!