Chicken Mushroom Barley Soup

I just made this soup today, and it is really good. I don't measure while cooking, but thought I'd share the general recipe. For those who don't know ( and I didn't until yesterday), Barley has 3 grms protein per ounce. It also has carbs, but no sugar, which makes it appropriate for my ppost-op diet. May not work for those who avoid carbs. Chicken Mushroom Barley Soup 1 package sliced white mushrooms 1 package sliced cremini mushrooms (also called baby bellas) 8 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken thighs (or 4 large breasts-boneless skinless) 2 large shallots garlic ( I use the chopped kind from the jar and I used about 1 TBS) dried tarragon dried or fresh parsley chicken broth/stock pearl barley 3/4 cup white wine Sautee mushrooms shallots and garlic with olive oil cooking spray until tender. Pour wine into pan to deglaze and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove mushroom mixture with all liquid and place into blender--puree. In a large stock pot place chicken and mushroom puree. Cover with broth( about 1/2 pot full). Add about 1 TBS tarragon. Bring to a boil and cook on med. high until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and chop or shred. Return chicken to soup and add aprox 1- 1.5 cups dry barley. Bring back up to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. This is a thick, protein rich soup. The only fat is from the chicken. Barley has carbs but no sugar. My entire family ate this for dinner--even my 10 month old, 3yr old and 4 yr old. My hubby and I are both post-op so we each ate about 3-4 oz.

This sounds very yummy. I've been in the soup/stew mode/mood for the past month! I'll definitely try this one. Thanks. The only unfortunate thing is that my husband is gluten-intolerant and can't eat the barley. I may use wild and brown rice instead. Mary