Creamy Chicken and Barley Soup

It’s one of those meals that just feels good to eat.

Grab all the stuff you need:

• 3 cups chicken breast, diced

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• 1 tsp rubbed sage

• 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)

• 1 onion, diced

• 3 ribs celery, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, rough chopped

• 3 carrots, sliced into bite sized pieces

• 1 1/2 cups pearled barley

• 4 cups chicken broth + 2 cups water (I usually have chicken broth I've previously made in the refrigerator. Store bought is okay here, but if you have homemade, this is the time to use it!)

• 1/2 cup half and half + 1 tablespoon flour

• Fresh cracked pepper

Rub:

• Chicken breast with sage and rosemary plus a small sprinkle of kosher salt.

• Set aside.

Melt:

• Butter in a large heavy bottomed pot.

• Add in onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and parsley.

• Saute over medium heat about 4-5 minutes.

Toss in:

• Diced, seasoned chicken.

• Brown in the pan stirring occasionally. About 5 minutes.

Slowly add:

• Chicken broth + water.

• Stir well, loosening any tasty bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Boil:

• For about 3 minutes, then add barley.

Simmer:

• Over medium low about 20 minutes.

Add:

• Half and half + flour, stirring constantly.

Simmer:

• An additional 5 minutes to allow soup to thicken.

Garnish:

• With cracked black pepper.

Enjoy!

Note: If you’d like to make homemade chicken broth for this, start by boiling a whole, cut up chicken for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat falls off the bone.

Remove the meat from the pot. Then, remove the bones and skin from the meat and shred.

Strain the broth.

You can use your shredded chicken in place of the chicken breast stated in the recipe, and use your broth for the liquid.