Cream of Mushroom Chicken Barley Soup

One of my favorite sights in the fall is the wild-mushroom sellers at your farmers markets. One of my favorite foods, mushrooms, are now plentiful and a welcome sight. They are available is all sorts of shapes and sizes and are a nutritional powerhouse. Low in calories, fat and cholesterol-free, mushrooms contain a modest amount of fiber and over a dozen minerals and vitamins, including copper, potassium, magnesium, zinc and a number of B vitamins such as folate. Mushrooms are also high in antioxidants like selenium and glutathione, believed to protect cells from damage and reduce chronic disease and inflammation.

This earthy, woodsy soup called for wild rice, I choose to sub in one of my favorite grains, barley. Barley also offers a range of important nutrients which makes this soup one of the healthiest you will make this season.

Cream of Mushroom Chicken Barley Soup

Serves 4
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic smashed
1/2 sweet onion chopped
kosher salt and pepper
6 ounces cremini mushrooms
2 ounces wild mushrooms
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup barley or wild rice
1/2-1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring often until the onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cremini mushrooms and the wild mushrooms, cook another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are caramelized. Stir in the thyme and cook another minute longer (at this point a healthy splash of white wine to deglaze the pan is a good idea). Remove the pot from the heat and ladle out half of the wild mushrooms. Transfer the remaining ingredients to a food processor. Add 2 cups broth and pulse until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Return the mixture to the soup pot and add the remaining 4 cups broth plus 2 cups water. Bring the mixture to boil and stir in the barley or rice and chicken. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the barley or rice is tender and the chicken has cooked through. Shred the chicken in the pot. Stir in the milk and parmesan. Season the soup with salt + pepper. Simmer the soup for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the reserved wild mushrooms (you may need to reheat).

Adapted from: Half Baked Harvest