Chicken & Barley Soup

This one is for my dear friend, Yulia, who has been asking me for months to relay this recipe onto her and persuading me to write a cookbook. (I'm sorry for the procrastination, Yulia!) During the cold and miserable Charlotte winter season, I made this soup with ingredients that were handy throughout my kitchen. Making any kind of soup with leftover chicken is a game changer because you can really turn it into whatever you're feeling that day - from Chicken Tortilla to Chicken Noodle to my favorite - Chicken & Barley.

Chicken & Barley Soup
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
For chicken:
8 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

For soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup pre-soaked barley (see Trader Joe's)
2 cups baby spinach

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare chicken by first cutting away any excess fat. In a bowl, season chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper until well coated. Place on sheet pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
3. To start your soup, add olive oil and butter to a large pot and set to medium heat on your stove top. Once the butter melts, add the onion, red pepper and celery to the pot. Cook 5-7 minutes until onions become translucent.
4. Next, add your mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and garlic to the pot and continue to stir until mushrooms are cooked and garlic becomes fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Squeeze lemon juice over vegetables and scrape the fond (flavor bits) from the bottom of the pot with a flat wooden spoon. The acid from the lemon will help you do this with ease.
6. Add 3 cups of vegetable broth to the pot.
7. Remove chicken from oven and dice into 1-inch, bite-size pieces and add to soup pot. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
8. Pour a barley into soup and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cool for 15-20 minutes or until barley is soft.
9. Last, but not least - stir in spinach, letting it wilt*.
10. Serve hot.

*If you are not serving the soup immediately, You can omit the spinach until you are ready to serve. For example, if you are planning to bring soup with you to work for the week, pour soup into your chosen container and top with fresh spinach. The spinach will wilt when you heat up the soup.