French Chicken Soup

pbMakes 2 big bowls/b/p
h2Chefs Note/h2
pNo question that this soup or any soup tastes better when you use homemade chicken stock. Many of us do not have either the time or interest (although it is really easy) to make homemade. There are any number of chicken stocks or broths on the market. My ONLY suggestion is to use a reduced sodium variety and add any extra salt that feel you NEED to add./p
pFor the cooked chicken you can use a rotisserie chicken or roast the chicken in the oven and shred or chunk the cooked chicken. I put the fresh vegetables in as the soup cools and then they only cook while reheating the soup. If you like your vegetables softer, you can add them into the soup 10 minutes into the simmering process. This makes a great hearty “meal” soup while holding the carbohydrate level way down. And a side trip to France is always nice./p
h2Ingredients/h2
ul
li1 quart chicken broth or stock/li
li1 medium onion sliced thickly/li
li1 Tbsp olive oil/li
li2 cloves garlic, grated or minced/li
li1/4 cup pearled barley/li
li3/4 pound of cooked chicken, shredded or diced/li
li1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or 2 Tsp. dry)/li
li1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence/li
li3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped/li
liSalt and pepper to taste/li
li2 medium carrots/li
li2 stalks celery/li
li1/4 cup dry white wine (OPTIONAL)/li
/ul
h2Preparation/h2
ol
liSauté the onions in olive oil until a light golden color./li
liAdd the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the barley and coat with the onion garlic mixture./li
liAdd the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, dill, parsley, salt and pepper, wine (OPTIONAL) to the pot./li
liSimmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Herbs de Provence./li
liSlice the carrots and celery into similar sized pieces (about ½ inch thick) and add to the soup./li
liRefrigerate over night. Reheat to a boil just before serving./li
/ol
h2Nutritional Information/h2
p12g Net Carbohydrate per serving /p
piSource: a href="http://www.thedecadentdiabetic.com/"Ward Alper, The Decadent Diabetic/a/i/p