One of my favorite things to eat when it’s cold outside is homemade chicken soup! It’s definitely more labor intensive to make from scratch but it’s well worth it for the robust flavor and the fact that you can eat it all week. I enjoy eating it with a fresh, buttered baguette…heaven! I’m especially fond of this recipe because of the addition of the pearled barley. I love the texture with the tenderness of the chicken. Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken (extra fat trimmed)
• 2 tablespoons butter (can use olive oil)
• 5 cloves of garlic smashed
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium lemon or orange quartered
• Fresh rosemary or thyme

Instructions:

• Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
• Rinse chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut off and discard any extra fat hanging around the body cavity.
• Brush chicken with melted butter coating all of the skin. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Place the citrus, garlic and whole herbs inside the cavity. Also rub a tablespoon of chopped herbs onto outside of the bird.  Place the chicken breast-side up on a baking pan or cast iron skillet.
• Roast the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue roasting until the juices run clear and a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh (but not touching the bone) registers 165°F, about 50 minutes to 1 hour more. Remove the chicken from the oven and put on a cutting board. Let it rest about 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
• *Note: If you are planning to make a stock out of the chicken carcass, you can add whole garlic with chopped carrot, onion and celery placed directly on the sheet pan directly beneath the bird. Just add the roasted mirepoix to my stock recipe for extra richness!

Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

- Chicken Carcass
- 3 large carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 large celery stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large onion cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic smashed
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 whole all spice
- tablespoon of pepper corns
- tablespoon of salt
- tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup un-oaked white wine

Instructions:

In an extra large stockpot, sauté garlic, onion, carrot, thyme and celery for 6-8 minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine and add the rest of the ingredients ending with the chicken carcass. Cover chicken carcass with 4 inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer lightly for 3-4 hours or until stock has reduced enough to produce a rich concentrated flavor. Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer to remove all large particles. Cool in fridge and skim fat.

Chicken Soup With Pearled Barley

Ingredients:
- Chicken meat chopped into bite sized pieces from whole roasted chicken.(skin removed)
- 3 carrots sliced into 1/8 inch discs
- 3 celery stalks cut into 1/8 inch slices
- 1 large spanish onion cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 2 cups of grape or other small tomatoes halved
- 3/4 cup of pearled barley

Instructions:

In a large stock pot bring homemade stock to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer pearled barley, tomato and onion for 25 minutes with stock in large stock pot. Add carrots and celery and continue simmering for 20 minutes. Add chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy all week long!