This was terrific. Very easy and quick. I added more garlic, carrot, celery, and browned my chicken. I also used pearl barley and cooked it for a while in chicken stock prior to adding. I did not add butter. Served this for our Soup Group and got rave reviews. I will definitely make this again!
I would give this 10 stars if I could. This was very tasty. I did not have mushrooms or celery in the house so I left those out and I threw in about a tsp of kosher salt with the parsley.
I absolutely adore this soup. I usually double or even triple the recipe. In the winter, I usually add a little shredded cheese. I also make it without chicken and use vegetable stock for lunches in the summer, so we can have a healthy dose of our veggies. It's an unexpected combination (the almonds with the veggies and barley) that is delicious and leaves you very satisfied.
The complex flavors are amazing. This is a new favorite in our home. My wife and I LOVED it. I doubled the recipe & substituted spinach for parsley. I toasted the almonds on the stove in a skillet (faster just gotta keep a good eye on em) i used homemade chicken stock. added a zucchini halved and sliced into the pot near the end. For mushrooms: white button portabella and shitake. I've never had a homemade soup taste this good. and the almonds... i would never had expected such a layer of flavor. they really do go perfectly in this dish.
I LOVE this soup! I've made it several times. It's my favorite new mama dinner gift-barley is great for milk supply and with the chicken and veggies it's a super nutritious soup. I do use pearl barley added with the broth and cook it until done about 40 minutes. I've also substituted chopped fresh spinach for the parsley.
Very yummy. I used lentils instead of barley (only because I had it on hand). This was an easy filling meal. Perfect for cold nights and even yummy reheated the next day for lunch. I will definitely make this again!
I made it last night (40 degree outside) and it was a great comforting soup for a cold night. I did browned my chicken together with the onion and garlic. Otherwise I pretty much follow everything in the recipe.
This is a good basic recipe. You can spice it up and dress it up however you like. I pressured cooked the chicken breasts and used my favorite chicken soup spices sage bay leaf thyme rosemary etc. I used regular barley instead of quick cooking because I like the firmer texture. I had never put almonds in a soup before so I was anxious to try it. They were ok but didn't have a "wow" factor so I won't add them again. I also had parsnips and lentils on hand so I put those in as well. It turned out to be a hearty comfort soup. I will continue to keep making variations of this recipe. So because of my personal preference I am giving this a 3.5 star rating. Go ahead and alter it to your tastes and ideas. Others love it exactly the way it is written but the possibilities are limiitless.
This is very warm and comforting. If you like mildly seasoned food then you will like this recipe. It reminds me of a homemade chicken noodle soup.
I thought the flavor of the soup was bland. It definitely needs spicing up.