Spring Chicken & Barley Soup

By devogirl

You might think of barley as an addition to hearty, wintery soups, such as mushroom-barley or beef-barley soup, but it also works well in lighter soups like this one with chicken, asparagus and peas.

READER'S COMMENT:
"The basil/garlic/orange mixture turned this ok soup into a delicious bowl of healthy and yummy goodness. I also browned some fresh chicken tenders... and cleaned out the veggie drawer. Happy we have some left for tomorrow

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, divided
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large bone-in chicken breast, (10-12 ounces), skin removed, trimmed
• 1/3 cup pearl barley
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup trimmed and diagonally sliced asparagus, (1/4 inch thick)
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaves
• 1 strip orange zest, (1/2 by 2 inches)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Grate or finely chop 1 clove garlic; add to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, chicken and barley. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon. Return the broth to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, shred the chicken or cut into bite-size pieces; discard the bone.

3. When the barley is done, add the chicken, tomatoes and juice, asparagus, peas, salt and a grinding of pepper; return to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more.

4. Coarsely chop the remaining garlic clove. Gather basil, orange zest and the garlic and finely chop together. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a generous pinch of the basil mixture.