Chicken and Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cans low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as desired
• 3/4 cup pearl barley, uncooked
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp of each dried rosemary, thyme, and marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup slightly packed, chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Warm the oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
2. Add the chicken broth, barley, bay leaves, sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the pot to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer until the barley is tender, about 50 – 60 minutes.
3. Stir in the chicken, parsley, and lemon juice, and serve warm. If the soup sits for a bit, the barley will soak up more of the broth, so thin it with additional chicken broth as desired.