chicken, barley, and tarragon soup

Alright so there's dandelion greens in here too. However, the day after consuming copious amounts of sinful mac 'n' cheese requires some sort of cleansing type dish. Plus, it's still raining and snowing outside and being downright miserable. Not that I'm exactly out and about much these days, as my bump has gone from a basketball to nearly a beach ball in a fairly short period of time. And yes, I might temporarily disappear from here at any point soon. Don't worry, I'll still be eating, but probably not much time to write about it. We'll see! To have the most comforting, soothing chicken soup possible, it definitely helps to have the best broth you can get. Every month or so I poach a couple chickens, and I have to tell you that poaching is far too underrated. There's some awesomely delicious eats from just adding a few good things to water and getting all to take a nice, cozy little bath together. I'll have to write more about it next time I make it, but a chicken broth flavoured with lemon, thyme, carrots, celery, and leeks makes for a the best soup, and even the simplest of risotto is suddenly glam. Although I'm not opposed to using canned, it just depends what it is to be used for. A great broth equals a great start. Chicken and Barley Soup extra virgin olive oil 1 onion finely diced 2 cups finely diced celery 2 cups finely diced carrots 10 cups of chicken broth 2 cups of pot barley 1 bunch dandelion greens 5 cups of chopped poached chicken 2 tbsp of finely chopped tarragon salt to taste 1. Preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a large stockpot. 2. Add the onions and sweat for at least 10 minutes, or until very soft, but not caramelized. Keep the temperature as low as is needed. 3. After the onions are soft, add the celery, and sweat for 2-3 minutes, then add the carrots. Season with a little salt. 4. After the carrots have been in the mix for 2-3 minutes, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. 5. Add two cups of rinsed barley. Cook until just tender to the bite, at least 10 minutes. Under cook the barley at this point because it will continue to cook and soak up liquid until there is nothing left. 6. Carefully wash the dandelion greens, and give them a fine chop. 7. Add the chicken and dandelion greens to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil once again, and immediately reduce the heat. 8. Add the finely chopped tarragon, and season to taste. Enjoy!
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