Pearl barley stew with chicken

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 small chicken (soup chicken)
• 1 bunch soup greens (large)
• 1 large onion(s)
• 250 g potatoes, floury
• Salt and pepper (white)
• 4 bay leaves
• 500 g pearl barley (medium)
• Vegetable stock cubes for 1 liter
• 500 ml water to fill

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

old recipe

The chicken should be covered in water, the diced vegetables, the whole onion, salt and pepper, bay leaves, and stock cubes in a large saucepan, and simmer gently for about 1 1/2 hours with the lid closed. Then remove the chicken from the pan and let it cool slightly. Peel and dice the potatoes, add them to the pan along with the water to make up the volume, and cook for about another 20 minutes. In the meantime, remove any usable lean meat from the chicken, cut it into small cubes, and set it aside. Now add the pearl barley to the pan and reduce the heat so that the soup simmers gently for 20 minutes. It’s important that you stir the soup thoroughly every few minutes while the pearl barley is cooking. Once the pearl barley and potatoes are soft, your soup should have the thickness of a stew. Of course, you can thin it out with water if desired, but it tastes even better if you add a dash of canned milk to thin it out later in the bowl. Finally, add your chicken cubes to the pot, stir vigorously once more, and remove from the heat. Your delicious stew is ready.