Saturday 25 June 2011

Chicken and pearl barley soup

There's nothing quite as nourishing and comforting as chicken and pearl barley soup.  I don't have a specific recipe with specific quantites of ingredients but I always use a chopped chicken fillet for the chicken meat pieces.  Here is what I used in Friday night's soup.


onions, diced
cellery, diced
chicken fillet, chopped into small pieces
carrots, diced
zucchini (corgette), diced
pearl barley
fresh herbs (parsley and sage from the garden), roughly chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil to saute onion, cellery and chicken
boiling water from the kettle

I start off by chopping the onion and cellery to saute and then add small chopped pieces of chicken fillet to brown.  Add the herbs and stir.  Add a kettle full of boiling water to the pan.  Nothing fancy about this, it just reduces the time it takes to get the water boiling on the stove.  Add pearl barley, I used about 3/4 cup 'cos I like thick soup.  Add chopped vegetables, whatever you feel like using.  I usually like to add parsnip, but it's a bit on the expensive side at the moment so I didn't buy any.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until chicken, vegetables and barley are cooked.  Adjust seasoning.  Enjoy.

We ate our soup last night with mini cheese and corn muffin which were in the freezer left over from Genevieves party.  YUM!


Have you eaten something delicious or comforting today.  Includes chocolate!

Anne  xx

12 comments:

  1. Hey Anne, I know what I'm going to be making this week, I just love pearl barley and I love soup.

    Just the weather for it and those muffins look like the best accompaniment for a bowl full of broth..............

    It was very foggy here this morning, but turned into a beautiful sunny day, enjoy the rest of your weekend,

    Claire :}

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  2. this is my favourite soup! My granny used to make it all the time when i was wee. Only with just using carrots, celery and spuds ^_^

    anytime we make soup or irish stew im taken back to my grannys kitchen.

    Then I love going to my grannys kitchen now cuz she's all about the lemon roulade recently. my favourite!

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  3. Anne, your soup looks delicious! The corn muffin looks yummy too.
    Thanks for the recipe and photos.
    Have a pleasant weekend.

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  4. Looks yummy, but I would replace the pearl barley with lentils as pearl barley reminds me of frog spawn!! I was thoroughly put off it by a lamb and pearl barley casserole I did in my slow cooker (which is known as the "grot pot" in this house!!)

    We had a McDonalds so utter, utter junk but I really enjoyed it!!

    S x

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  5. That looks YUM!
    I'm gunna make that!
    I love pearl barley.
    Sticks to your ribs - as my Grandma used to say.
    I made Curried Chicken Pasties yesterday.
    Vince's favourite.
    (you'd think all his Christmases had come at once).

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  6. Yum! That looks great - I love pearl barley too. I've bookmarked it to make when summer is over!

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  7. That looks so scrummy, especially with the muffins.

    I've just been eating some lovely blackcurrant cake that I made yesterday.

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  8. This looks yum Anne! Like the little muffins too.
    In terms of delicious and comforting, I think I'm always eating something along those lines.

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  9. Very comforting and those muffins look divine with it. x

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  10. hi Anne - nice to have you over at mine, always love a new blogging friend! (see we share some)
    Off for a little nosey around yours...but not before mentioning that pearl barley is food of the devil!!! Dumplings look right up my street though!
    fee x
    pleased to meet you

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  11. Yum I shall try this - thanks !

    I was thinking about you on the retreat I went on. ( sending a dedication while I meditated ) How are you ?
    I'm dreading the long summer hoilday. I used to love it when the children were small. Hubby is busy all summer then leaves for the Caribbean in October with Jess. Well... I do have Christmas out there to look forward to !

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  12. That is my kind of soup!! I can almost smell the delicious aroma right through the computer monitor. Unfortunately for me, we are in the hottest weeks of the summer, and we try hard to avoid turning on the stove.

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