(First posted in 2006; updated with new photos and better instructions and added to Recipe Favorites February 2012.) It's getting cold in Utah, which always puts me the mood for soup. I love soup with barley, and there's a very similar recipe using leftover turkey on the blog, as well as a recipe for Mushroom Barley Soup with Ham and Leeks that's similar too. This recipe may be my favorite barley soup though, because you can start with a couple of chicken breasts, an onion, some carrots, some celery, and some barley and a little over an hour later you have a delicious soup.
Don't be tempted to increase the amount of barley. If you haven't cooked with barley that much, you'll be surprised how much it increases. Barley has a delightfully nutty flavor that I think combines perfectly with chicken.