Get hooked on whole grains

Spring Chicken & Barley Soup

I adore the nutty flavors and toothsome textures of whole grains. I always have. When I was a kid, my mom always served barley with her roast leg of lamb and it became my favorite side dish. Often we added mushrooms and topped it with gravy from the lamb. I’m hungry just thinking about it. Now, for a treat, I make EatingWell’s barley and mushroom risotto.

I’m lucky that I was trained from an early age to embrace whole grains, from barley to whole wheat. Now that I am an adult, I’m enjoying new whole grains, such as quinoa and farro, and using EatingWell’s Whole Grain Recipe Collection nearly every day. Why? Because whole grains are just plain healthier than refined grains. On average, Americans get about half of our calories from grains. We tend to opt for less-nutritious refined grains (their nutrient-rich bran and germ have been removed) and products that contain processed flours, despite research that shows whole grains are healthier. Studies show that whole grains protect against cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. And if health concerns aren’t enough to convince you, focus on taste.

I love this Spring Chicken & Barley Soup (recipe below) right now because it’s got asparagus and peas, which are just coming into season. Those vegetables make it light, springy and just perfect for a late April meal. Plus it’s got my favorite grain. Barley’s a great choice if you’re new to whole grains, as it’s widely available, inexpensive and you’ve probably had it before (at the very least in canned soup). But there’s a whole wide world of whole grains out there just waiting for you to try. You may have to go to a health-food store or Whole Foods to find them, but they’re worth the extra effort. Some of my all-time favorite whole-grain recipes from EatingWell include Creamy Wheat Berry Hot Cereal, Toasted Quinoa Salad with Scallops & Snow Peas and Barley & Wild Rice Pilaf with Pomegranate Seeds.

Here’s that soup recipe to get you started. Enjoy.

Spring Chicken & Barley Soup
Active time: 45 minutes | Total: 1 1/4 hours | To make ahead: Prepare through Step 3, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat the soup, thin with broth if desired and finish with Step 4 just before serving.

You might think of barley as an addition to hearty, wintery soups, such as mushroom-barley or beef-barley soup, but it also works well in lighter soups like this one with chicken, asparagus and peas.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, divided
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 large bone-in chicken breast (10-12 ounces), skin removed, trimmed
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup trimmed and diagonally sliced asparagus (1/4 inch thick)
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaves
1 strip orange zest (1/2 by 2 inches)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Grate or finely chop 1 clove garlic; add to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, chicken and barley. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon. Return the broth to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, shred the chicken or cut into bite-size pieces; discard the bone.
3. When the barley is done, add the chicken, tomatoes and juice, asparagus, peas, salt and a grinding of pepper; return to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more.
4. Coarsely chop the remaining garlic clove. Gather basil, orange zest and the garlic and finely chop together. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a generous pinch of the basil mixture.

Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups each.

Per serving: 265 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 39 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 24 g protein; 7 g fiber; 745 mg sodium; 405 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (40% daily value), Vitamin A (30% dv), Iron (15% dv).

By Jessie Price

EatingWell deputy food editor Jessie Price's professional background in food started when she worked in restaurant kitchens in the summers during college. She started out testing recipes for EatingWell and then joined the staff here full-time in 2004 when she moved to Vermont from San Francisco.

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