Creamy Chicken-Barley Soup

Creamy Chicken-Barley Soup

Serves 6

Prep and cooking time: 1-1/4 hours

This recipe is reminiscent of mushroom and barley soup, but with a few twists.

It's homestyle cooking at its best.

Ingredients;

1 Tbls. + 2 tsp. olive oil.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed.

1 onion, chopped.

1 carrot, finely chopped.

1 rib celery, chopped.

8 oz. mixed varieties of mushrooms, chopped.

3 cloves garlic, minced.

1 tsp. dried thyme.

1 tsp. dried tarragon.

2 Tbls. dry red wine.

1 c. pearled barley.

1 bay leaf.

7 c. fat-free chicken broth.

1 c. half-and-half cream.

1 Tbls. dry sherry.

Freshly ground black pepper.

Preparation;

In a large soup pot, heat the 2 teaspoons oil.

Stir in the chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until partially cooked and browned on the outside.

Remove and set aside.

In the same pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

Stir in the onion, carrot, and celery.

Cook over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and just beginning to brown.

Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and tarragon.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and increase the heat to high.

Add the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the barley and bay leaf.

Stir to coat the grains.

Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes, or until the soup has thickened and the barley is soft.

Add the chicken.

In a cup, stir spoonfuls of the soup into the half-and-half, one at a time, until warm.

Slowly pour into the pot, stirring constantly to prevent curdling.

Remove the bay leaf.

Stir in the sherry and season to taste with the pepper.

A wonderfully creamy chicken-barley soup.

It'll warm and satisfy you!

Per serving: 327 calories, 25 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 10 g total fat, 59 mg cholesterol, 7 g dietary fiber, 658 mg sodium

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