Southwestern Chicken & Barley Soup
"I recently purchased some barley as a way to introduce new grains to my diet. Found lots of good ideas for barley on this site and came up with my own soup. Perfect fall soup with comfort from the barley and chicken with a little heat from the chilies. Since the ingredients here reflect my pantry and tastes, you should feel free to adapt it to your own. I can see using green beans instead of zucchini or thighs instead of breasts."
photo by PaulaG
- Ready In:
- 1hr 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄2 green pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 7 cups water
- 2 low-sodium chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 chicken breast halves, skin removed
- 1 1⁄2 cups canned diced tomatoes
- 1 ear of corn
- 1 (14 ounce) can black beans
- 2 ancho chilies
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup barley
- 1 medium yellow zucchini or 1 medium green zucchini, cut in to medium cubes
directions
- Saute onion, garlic, celery and green pepper in olive oil in soup pot.
- Once onions are soft (about 5 minutes) add water, bouillon, tomatoes, black beans and chicken to pot and bring to a low simmer.
- (Use chicken broth instead of water and bouillon if you prefer).
- Remove corn kernels from cob and add to soup.
- Add whole ancho chilies to pot for a minute, just to get the dried chili to soften a bit.
- Remove from pot.
- Tear off stalk and remove seeds.
- Dice chilies into small pieces and return to simmering pot.
- Let soup simmer 20 minutes and remove chicken from pot.
- Shred or dice chicken and return to pot.
- Add barley and let soup simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add zucchini and let simmer an additional 25 minutes.
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Reviews
-
Loved this soup! I made some substitutions out of necessity (had no green pepper, so used red and had no ancho chilies, so used chili powder and cayenne), some for health reasons (used 6 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth and 1 cup water and 1 vegetable bouillion), and some for preference (added a TBLSP lime juice, chopped cilantro and shredded fat free cheddar cheese). The results were fabuluous! I even got DH to eat beans and veggies . . . quite an accomplishment. Thanks for a great recipe! -
Even though it's a little hot to be eating soup, I made this the other night to use up leftover chicken, 1/2 box of barley and some homemade chicken broth. It was really delicious and we all enjoyed it. I added about 1/2 tsp. each of cumin and Mexican oregano to boost the Southwest flavor. I'm keeping this to make again when the weather cools off. Thanks for a delicious meal. -
We are soup lovers and this recipe made for a great pot of soup. Nothing quite like a good homemade soup for a chilly day! Other then needing to use come frozen corn I made as posted with wonderful results. I served this with a loaf of grunig's Bauernbrot #183546(German Farmer Bread) Added to my keepers. Thank you for sharing. -
I made this soup for my daughters birthday party in June. I chose this one because it seemed really hearty, but not to much for a June party. I added a little cayenne pepper sauce to add a bit more flavor, not enough to raise the temperature. I loved it! And now my mother-in-law pays me once in a while to make this for her, because she fell in love with it too. I am so glad I found this recipe!! Thanks for posting this Toni!! -
One of my new favorite recipes! I increased the veggies (2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash), and I used dried chipotles instead of ancho peppers. Served it with fresh lime juice squeezed on top, and it was oh so good.
see 5 more reviews
Tweaks
-
Loved this soup! I made some substitutions out of necessity (had no green pepper, so used red and had no ancho chilies, so used chili powder and cayenne), some for health reasons (used 6 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth and 1 cup water and 1 vegetable bouillion), and some for preference (added a TBLSP lime juice, chopped cilantro and shredded fat free cheddar cheese). The results were fabuluous! I even got DH to eat beans and veggies . . . quite an accomplishment. Thanks for a great recipe!
-
One of my new favorite recipes! I increased the veggies (2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash), and I used dried chipotles instead of ancho peppers. Served it with fresh lime juice squeezed on top, and it was oh so good.
-
Good and hearty soup which we enjoyed. I used frozen corn instead of fresh so I put the corn in the soup pot with the barley instead of when the recipe stated, but followed the rest o the directions as written. By the way Toni I really liked the way you have short cuts in this recipe (which I am planning on using again in other recipes) with both the chicken and the chilies. Thanks for sharing!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I come from a long line of wonderful cooks and doing my best to hold up that tradition. My great-grandparents owned a coffee shop; my Nana was also a great cook and started the tradition of baking around the holidays, both cookies and fruitcakes. After she died, now a decade ago, our family decided to continue in her honor. The picture above is my mother's (Chef Hot Pans) dining room table just before we packed up our Christmas cookie trays. More that 20 kinds of cookies, many of which are from 'Zaar recipes. <br /> <br />I myself am an amateur cook with a penchant for ethnic foods and spice. Currently reforming my menu in favor of healthy dishes lower in fat with lots of grains and vegetables. My favorite cuisines are Mexican, Southwestern and North African. <br /> <br /> <br />Some of my favorite public cookbooks include:</p>
<li>ladypit's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/33588> WW Core Recipes I Have Tried </a> </li>
<p> </p>
<li>shirl(j)831's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/34888> Can this really be lowfat??? </a> </li>
<p> </p>
<li>julesong's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/30566> Cooking Light Recipes </a> </li>
<p> </p>
<li>mariposa13's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/44690> WW & Lowfat Recipes </a> </li>
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