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life{in}grace

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{Chipotle Pumpkin Barley Soup} with chicken

by 58 Comments

Here’s how it happened.

I went to bookclub at Sandy’s and she served two kinds of soups:  pumpkin-apple and chicken and barley.

I’m  a mixer, a layer-er, a lumper not a splitter.    I layer clothes and jewelry and apparently food.     So I mixed the two together and it was fantastic.

I came home, put another necklace on,  and then searched pumpkin soup recipes and found this wonderful recipe by Bobby Flay and then tweaked it and added chicken and barley to it.

Phenom Soup.  Par Excellence.  More stately if pronounced  ‘par eggselonce’.    Stevie says phooey on any soup that doesn’t have beef or cheese or beer.

I say,  you should try it and judge for yourself.  {He really liked it despite its’ obvious lack of all things manly–although in my book chipotle and barley are right up there}

You’ll need:

2 T butter and 2 T. olive oil

1 onion

1 large carrot

3 stalks of celery

3 cloves of garlic

2 boxes of good chicken stock

1 can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)  the smaller sized can ~14 oz

3 c. cooked chicken

1/2 c barley

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 t nutmeg

2-3 T honey

1-2 t. chipotles chopped very fine (it comes in a small can in the mexican section of the store and is packed in a heavy sauce)—it has a lot of heat so be cautious.

1 c. sour cream

1/4 c. heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

To begin,  saute the veggies in the oil and butter until carrots are almost tender.   Always salt as you go along and then adjust the salt at the end.   Don’t wait til the very end to add salt or your dish will lack a depth of flavor.    Add garlic after the veggies have cooked about 5 minutes.

Then add chicken stock, pumpkin, chicken, barley and all the spices.    Cook at medium to high heat  for about 45 minutes to an hour or until barley is tender.    Turn heat down to simmer.   Add sour cream and whisk so that no lumps remain and then add cream.   Taste and reseason.  I had to add more honey to balance the heat of the chipotles but DON’T leave out the chipotles.  The smokey flavor makes the soup.  It just wouldn’t be the same without them!  Enjoy!  And make promises to your husband that the next soup promises to be full of beef and cheese.

I made this soup for my dear friends Donna, Sue and Lenna. I don’t get to see them as much now that I’ve moved and I miss them dearly.
Thanks for sharing your day with us girls!
{they are my friends from the neighborhood where turquoise kitchen was born so we share many happy memories together}
neighbors

**Thank you for your response to my 12 days of Christmas pleas.  I’m getting so excited about it and have a project or two to show you as a preview!  If you haven’t heard back from me yet just be patient.  I’m slow and slightly overwhelmed at times.  But it looks like it’s gonna be a great 12 days.  There’s still time to submit  a project if you have one to share.   I’ll finalize the list by the end of the week.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  8. Laura says

    When I read this post, I just had to try it for tonights dinner. It was so delicious. Thank you for an awesome birthday dinner recipe!!!!

    Reply

  9. the domestic fringe says

    Honestly, I’m just not sure what to think of this soup. I’ve just NEVER heard of such a combination, but my daughter has been asking me to try pumpkin soup, so maybe this would be a good option. I think I’m gonna try it!

    -FringeGirl

    Reply

  12. Ruth says

    This soup sounds so yummy!! What a great recipe to try on a cool fall day.

    I have missed visiting. It’s been crazy here with the kitchen work. It is all starting to come together. I am so happy with what we’ve done so far.

    Hope all is well with you and your family.

    Ruth

    Reply

  13. Polly says

    Yummy! I just printed it out! Am heading to the store tomorrow for my chipotles. nursing a house full of sicklings so this is just the ticket. I have a pumpkin curry soup recipe to share when i get a moment. thank you sweet Edie!

    Reply

  15. adrienne says

    Oh, this soup is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! I just made it and I will be making it again. I think I’ll serve it for Thanksgiving to spice things up a bit! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  16. chris says

    Made this soup yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner , it was amazing , left out the chicken since we were having turkey , husband thought it sounded disgusting but he LOVED IT! , I put in a touch too much chipotle , but it was so yummy and made it perfect for him

    Reply

  17. Kerri says

    I made this soup last night for my family. My husband and I loved it and my 8 and 5 year olds liked it. Definetly a keeper. Thanks for posting.

    Reply

  18. Esther says

    This has to be one of the best soups ever. The combination of flavors is right on and just the right amount of heat from the chipotles. Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  19. Kitty Hurdle says

    FYI!!! I have eaten this soup every day since Saturday and cannot stop. (IT’S WEDNESDAY!!) I swapped out the barley for rice so it would keep longer…I’m in love. Thanks for the recommendation. Love your blog. xoxo

    Reply

  20. Tammy says

    Eddie, this was beyond fabulous. I made it for my family and the college Bible study and the college students were licking the pot!! I can’t wait to make this again. Who would have ever though such a strange combo would taste so amazing!!!

    Reply

  21. Tammy says

    Edie, this was beyond fabulous. I made it for my family and the college Bible study and the college students were licking the pot!! I can’t wait to make this again. Who would have ever though such a strange combo would taste so amazing!!!

    Reply

  22. Tammy says

    Edie, this was beyond fabulous. I made it for my family and the college Bible study and the college students were licking the pot!! I can’t wait to make this again. Who would have ever though such a strange combo would taste so amazing!!!

    Reply

  23. Anna Potes says

    This was amazing! I remembered you said at your book club you layered 2 soups and the pumpkin had apples in it. So, I drank Angry Orchard hard cider with my soup and it was delish. Next time, I’m thinking of adding morel mushrooms to it to add another layer of earthiness. Thanks so much for this recipe! I will be making it quite a bit. 🙂

    Reply

  24. Kathy G says

    I used Greek plain yogurt instead of sour cream and would only add one chipotle next time as it over powered other fabulous ingredients. delish!

    Reply

  25. janice says

    For those of us who are lactose intolerant, how would you think coconut milk would do as a sub for the milk products? Too much taste mixings? Go with rice milk or something more bland instead?

    Reply

  26. Janice says

    I subbed coconut milk and turkey. Amazing. No real coconut taste, but we all agreed it almost reminded us of a curry dish. Delish!

    Served with my fav pumpkin bread recipe.

    Reply

  27. Posicionamiento Seo says

    Estaba buscando esa informacion hace espacio, te lo agradezco, estoy de pacto con tu punto de vista y pienso igual.
    Despues de buscar mucho por Internet encontre lo que
    buscaba. Genial!!! muchas muchas gracias

    Reply

Trackbacks

  5. […] soup. My new favorite recipes are the tomato bisque soup from 100 Days of Real Food and the chipotle pumpkin barley soup from Life in Grace. Both of these recipes are done on the stove top. I make both in the crockpot […]

    Reply

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