Chicken Barley Soup

I have always loved beef barley soup.  So with the days getting colder, I thought it would be a good time to work up a few new recipes for soups to warm me up after a Michigan Fall or Winter day.  I adapted this recipe from the Skinny Taste recipe for Chicken Barley Soup.  I modified this for my ingredients and taste.  It was fantastic!  It made for a fairly dense soup - so if you want a more liquidy soup - add a total of 8 cups of chicken broth.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive oil
3 tsp Garlic (or cloves), chopped
1 cup Carrots, chopped
1 cup Onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 Skinless bone-in chicken breast
7 cups Chicken broth
2 tbsp Parsley, dried
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Sage, dried
1/4 tsp Black pepper
2/3 cup Barley (quick or instant)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and stir for around one minute.  Add the carrots, onion, and celery to the pot and saute for around 10 minutes.
2. Add chicken, broth, dried parsley, Kosher salt, sage, and black pepper and raise heat to bring to a boil (this will take a few minutes).
3. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer covered over low heat for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred the meat while discarding the bones.  Return the chicken to the pot along with barley and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Enjoy!