It’s the new year, and some of you have decided it’s time to “get healthy.” Go you! While on this blog I will never assist in calorie counting or restriction diets, there is literally no downside to eating more nutritiously. I’m a big advocate of adding good things in rather than cutting things out. All things in balance!

Which brings us to this soup! I love chicken noodle soup, but it doesn’t really satisfy as a meal. This take swaps the noodles for pearled barley, which is high in fiber and has a slightly chewy texture that makes it a great sub for noodles. The recipe is packed with good-for-you aromatics like garlic, ginger, and turmeric. The carrots and celery turn the recipe into a little bit of a cuisine mashup, but I think it really works.

Chicken and Barley Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 large carrot, quartered and sliced

• 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped

• 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

• 1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger

• 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric

• 1 teaspoon curry powder (I love Penzeys Now Curry)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup water

• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary

• 1 cup pearled barley

• 1 cup frozen peas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add oil to a pot with deep sides and over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and cook until softened, about 5-7 min. 

2. Add grated ginger, turmeric, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add chicken and stir to coat.

3. Add broth, water, and rosemary. Bring the mixture to a boil and add barley. Stir to mix. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.

4. Stir peas into the soup and return it to a simmer. Taste for salt, adding more if needed. Serve hot.

NOTES:

• If you’d prefer your chicken shredded, add whole chicken thighs in step 3. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the soup, shred, and return to the pot with the peas.

• You can use hulled barley here, but it’ll take longer to cook. Add another 15-20 minutes of cook time. It will also absorb less of the broth, so your soup will have more liquid.