Plane, not Plain: Chicken, Lentil, and Barley Soup

We are back to "normal" over here at Thathouse.  Normal in the sense that every weekend is back to being chock full of activities.  In fact, I was so excited for the weekend of June 7, because we had nothing on the calendar!  And then I remembered that was Juristoddler's birthday.  Sure enough, an invitation arrived shortly after.

And of course, this was a party that could not be missed.  Juristoddler loves the movie Planes, so this was a plane-themed party.  Complete with planes for the kids to take home, and planes on cupcakes.  Thatbaby quickly found his cupcake buddy, Little HW to sit next to as they dug in.

We're also back to cooking again.  Yay!  The last couple of weeks before we moved we were literally eating nothing but Trader Joes frozen meals.  So what kinds of things am I making now that I have a kitchen again?  Things that aren't fried or dripping in sauce.  Things with whole grains like barley.  Things with lentils.  Things that combine "healthy" ingredients but don't make me feel like I'm eating a cardboard box.

Soup might sound like a weird thing to make on a summer evening, but it is also undeniably homey.  A great welcome back to the kitchen, or welcome to the evening.  I mean, does anything sound better than curling up on the couch with a warm bowl of soup?

Chicken, Lentil, and Barley Stew

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper
1 chicken breast, diced

2 Tbsp oil

 1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

4-6 small new potatoes, diced

1/2 cup quick-cooking barley

3 bay leaves

1. Combine flour, garlic, salt, pepper, and chicken in a shallow bowl.  
2. Dredge chicken in flour to coat.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook until chicken starts to brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Add onions and garlic and saute another 5 minutes.
5. Add carrots and potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Stir in broth and lentils.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes.
7. Stir in barley and simmer for 15 minutes.