I have another quick blog post and another satisfying soup to share - Chicken Barley Soup!
The hardest part of this whole soup was making fresh chicken stock, and it was really not about difficulty, but more about time. I've made plenty of stock from cooked carcasses, but this was the first time I did it from a fresh chicken. I would absolutely do it again, it was easy!
I began by cutting up a whole fresh chicken. I got this one (which was bigger than I needed) from Big Y for about $10. I typically pick them up a bit smaller at Aldi flor half that rice - quite a deal!
I cut the chicken into parts, savings the boneless, skinless breast for another meal. The rest of the chicken, legs, thighs, wings, and especially the back, I dropped into about 10 cups of cold water along with some rough cut carrots, onions, celery and garlic with a few added bay leaves. I then brought it up to a boil and simmered for 3 hours.
Once it simmered, I strained out all of the solids, discarding everything but keeping the meat. I then pulled all of the meat off the bones and bagged it for the next day. I also poured all of the stock into a large container and refrigerated that. The next day, the fat had risen to the top and solidified, and it was a piece of cake to spoon off and remove.
At that point, it was just the remaining soup ingredients added to the stock and meat, brought to a boil again and then simmered for about an hour, giving the vegetables enough time to soften and the barley long enough to cook through.
It was easy and a very quick lunch. You could use premade canned or box stock and a rotisserie chicken if you don't want to go through the effort of making your own. It would be very tasty either way.
So, if you need a quick soup that is hearty and delicious, try Chicken Barley Soup, and then come back and let me know what you think.
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