I think Punxsutawney Phil is in cahoots with Mother Nature & Old Man Winter.
And with all this winter weather hanging around, I feel the need for something that makes me feel warm and toasty inside — yummy comfort food! Whether it’s just rainy or snowy or just plain cold out, one of my favorite things to make is chicken soup. Although, I end up putting in too many yummy things in and it ends up being more of a cross between stew and soup – STOUP!
My recipe is more of suggestions than preciseness. I cook like an old lady – a shake of this, a dash or two of that… taste… a shake and a dash more – and don’t necessarily have exact measurements.
So what do you need for chicken-barley soup (or stoup, whatever it comes out to be)?
- Some chicken stock (sometimes I add in veggie stock as well, depends on how much I want to make)
- Chicken
- Mirepoix mix (or chopped onions, carrots & celery)
- Mixed veggies
- Barley
- Spices (below are ones that I use, but my favorite is poultry seasoning)
- Salt & Pepper
- Chicken bouillon
- A BIG pot
Once you have all your ingredients, put the pot on the stove and add in your chicken stock, chicken and cut up veggies.
I had extra carrots & onions in the fridge, so I cut those up and added them in as well. I LOVE fresh carrots in soup!
Turn your stove on and let the soup start cooking!
At this point I also start to add in the barley (I usually put in about a cup or so, it just depends) and my spices. You can also add in a bay leaf if you have one too.
Let the soup come to a boil and then you can cover and let it simmer.
One thing I do often with my soup is taste it and add in different things I need to make it taste just right.
So after the soup has been simmering for a while and the chicken is cooked through, you can taste it to see if you need any bullion/seasoning. I get Trader Joe’s Savory Broth Chicken Flavoring sometimes an add that or regular chicken bullion. Add the flavoring until your soup tastes right. Sometimes I add in some more spices at this time, particularly poultry seasoning. Sometimes I add in some water, depending on the taste and liquid to solid ratio. Soup vs Stoup – whichever you prefer!
Once I let that simmer for a bit longer and taste it to make sure it super yummy, I take out the chicken to shred it, put it back in the pot, and add in my frozen veggies to cook for a bit.
Let the soup cook for a bit more. Make sure that the barley and frozen veggies are cooked and that you’ve fished out the bay leaf if you’ve added it in.
This yumminess is almost ready!!!
I like to make chicken soup when I don’t feel well or am a little homesick. It reminds me of my Mom, her cooking and teaching me how to cook.
If I would be off from school and she had to work, I’d find a note in the kitchen with directions on how to start dinner for that night.
Usually it takes me about 2-3 hours to cook my soup. I like to let it simmer and the smell fill up my kitchen.
Now it’s time to ladle out a BIG bowl of wholesome goodness and enjoy!
Tonight I paired my stoup with a salad full of fresh veggies and some balsamic vinegar dressing. Mmmmmmmmmm – Perfect for a cold winter’s night.
Enjoy!!!
Now I wonder how much Phil got out of his deal from Mother Nature & Old Man Winter for six more weeks of winter.
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Thanks Ange!
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theres something so soothing about warm chicken noodle soup in the dead of winter!
Great post, who wrote it?
Ange from WW :)