Soup Week: Roasted Chicken and Barley Soup

Since I had a lot of time on my hands this past winter, and wanted something else to do whenever I had the energy to do it, I thought making homemade chicken noodle soup would be a good start. It was pleasantly simple to make, and was an excellent comfort food on top of that. I've never been a fan of the packaged or canned chicken soups out there, and now I'll never go back. The soup is so delicious and is full of tons of vegetables, nice big chunks of roasted chicken, and lots of flavour. Thanks to my grandma for teaching me how to make this.

PART 1: Homemade Chicken Broth
Mikyn's Kitchen

Chicken carcass and bones, meat removed
10-12 cups water
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove garlic, peeled (optional)
Salt
Pepper

Homemade chicken broth is most easily made from the leftover bones and carcass of a roasting chicken. Once the chicken is roasted, remove as much of the chicken meat from the bones as possible, reserving for future use (If you leave the meat on the bones, it tends to go rubbery, and so it's better to remove before making the broth).

In a large pot, add the bones, carrots, celery, onions, water and spices, and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, remove any scum, reduce the heat and simmer on low for 1.5-2 hours. After a couple of hours, taste and re-season as necessary - salt is definitely the key here. Don't be afraid to add some - it will still be less than the canned versions in the store.

Strain out the vegetables, bones and bay leaf, reserving the broth. If you allow the broth to cool in the fridge overnight, you can easily remove any fat that may have solidified on top - I find though that the roasting of the chicken actually renders most of the fat, and so there's usually very little left. Enjoy as needed in your recipes.

PART 2: Roasted Chicken and Barley Soup
Mikyn's Kitchen
Serves 8

10 cups homemade chicken broth
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup roasted chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup barley
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add carrots, celery, onions and barley, and cook until soft.

2. When nearly done, add the chicken and heat through. Taste and re-season as necessary. Enjoy!