Clean eating Chicken and Barley Soup

It is sooo cold here in Pennsylvania that I needed something to warm me up on the inside. I normally do not eat soup due to the large amounts of sodium but, I love this recipe from the EAT CLEAN DIET by Tosca Reno! It is sooo delicious and EASY! I even Grilled the chicken beforehand for extra flavor!! So DELICIOUS and EASY!

 

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1 lb / 454 g), cubed
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch / ½-cm coins
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped into ¼-inch / ½-cm pieces
• 1 large tomato, chopped into ¼-inch / ½-cm pieces
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried thyme
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried celery seed
• ½ cup / 120 ml pearl barley
• 2 qt / 2 L low-sodium organic chicken broth
• ½ tsp / 2.5 ml each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Place barley in bowl with just enough water to cover it.
2. Heat olive oil on medium heat in an 8-quart stockpot.
3. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the olive oil, cooking for 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken to stockpot, along with the salt and black pepper. Brown for 5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken broth, vegetables, and spices to the pot.
6. Drain the water from the barley. Add the barley to the soup.
7. Let the soup boil for 30 minutes on medium heat.