Chicken and Barley Soup

FROM: eatcleandiet.com

---

SERVINGS: 10
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

---

Details

This hearty soup is a perfect meal for those days when you don’t feel like cooking at all. Simple, tasty and nutritious, this soup will hit you in all of the right spots!

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1 lb / 455 g), cubed
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch / 1/2 cm coins
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped into 1/4-inch / 1/2 cm pieces
• 1 large tomato, chopped into 1/4-inch / 1/2 cm pieces
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried thyme
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried celery seed
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml pearled barley
• 2 qt./2L of low-sodium organic chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml sea salt
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Place barley in bowl with just enough water to cover it.
2. Heat olive oil on medium heat in an 8-quart stockpot.
3. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the olive oil, cooking for 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken to stockpot, along with the salt and black pepper. Brown for 5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken stock, vegetables, and spices to the pot.
6. Drain the water from the barley. Add the barley to the soup.
7. Let the soup boil for 30 minutes on medium heat.

*NOTE:

I could not find ANY kind of barley at Super Wal-Mart. When I find barley (I hear it is at Target) then I'll try this soup with it. I used brown rice. It turned out really well. I just skipped all of the above steps and added the rice to the pot of soup. Also, I just added all of the veggies to the chicken stock and let it cook for 30 minutes. It tasted wonderful. You could serve this with a slice of Exiekel bread with all nautral apple sauce on top to give it some moisture! Yummy!