Chicken and Barley Soup

It pains me to say this, but Fall is here. As always, the initial on-set leaves me scrambling to get dressed every morning. Is it still warm out? Can I still wear skirts without tights? Is it boot weather yet? Oy! So many questions, so little time! 

Luckily, deciding what to make for dinner is not as difficult. No matter what the temperature is outside, soup never fails as the perfect end to any Autumn day. Since Costco Rotisserie Chickens are easy to come by and getting out of work on time is never is a challenge, last nights menu was a piece of cake: Chicken and Barley Soup. 

A few weeks ago I spotted a chicken and barley soup recipe in Everyday Food magazine so I figured I'd give it my own twist. 

Before I begin, I have to admit that I don't always pay attention when I'm grocery shopping. Martha's recipe called for quick cooking barley and of course, I bought the non-quick cooking kind. I was a bit frustrated, but I made a few adjustments and still ended up with a very tasty meal in about 30 minutes!

Recipe: 

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced small 

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 Rotisserie chicken, shredded (your favorite pieces)

Coarse salt and ground pepper 

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 cup quick-cooking barley 

2 scallions, chopped for garnish

Directions:

1) In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add broth, chicken and thyme and bring to a simmer, about 8 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook barley according to package.

3) Once barley is fully cooked, stir into soup and continue to simmer for about 2 minutes.

4) Toss in frozen corn and peas and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

5) Season with salt and pepper and top with scallions to server.