Chicken And Barley Vegetable Soup

Directions

1. This is a delicious hearty soup. I make a lot since it freezes well. Skin chicken parts and cover with water and cook till tender. Skim off any foam when cooking. Remove chicken to cold and strain broth. Shred or possibly cut up cooled chicken. You could also do all of this this ahead of time and also refrigeratebroth and remove any accumulated fat. Coarse cube vegetables. In a very large stock pot, heat some extra virgin olive oil and cook vegetables several min to release flavors.
2. Add in the chicken broth, cooked chicken, cooked barley and seasonings. Bring to a boil and cook on low simmer, covered till vegetables are tender; about 30 to 40 min. Correct seasonings. To keep as a soup make sure there is sufficient broth since the barley will tend to absorb any liquid. This dish will be more stew like if allowed to be thickened by the barley.
3. Makes about a gallon or possibly over12 servings. I portion out servings in freezer containers and freeze what I want. We often serve oyster crackers along with the soup.