Southwestern Chicken Barley Soup for #CrazyIngredientChallenge

Today, for Crazy Ingredient Challenge we were assigned to make a new and original recipe using Barley and Salsa.  I was happy when the ingredients were chosen, knowing that I would be able to make a wonderful dish using these ingredients.

I still had some jars of salsa that I had canned in my cupboard so I pulled that out to use in this dish. Since January is National Soup Month, I decided to stay with that theme and make a Southwestern Chicken Barley Soup.  This was a very easy dish since I used the slow cooker to do all the work for me.

It turned out amazing.  The soup was hearty and filling.  I paired it with Cheese Quesadillas on a take of a Southwest soup and sandwich theme.  The salsa seasoned the soup perfectly and only required a small amount of chili powder.  Of course, Frank is spice sensitive so I go easy on the heat.  Feel free to add the amount that will give you your desired amount of heat.

Southwestern Chicken Barley Soup

a Day in the Life original

1 lg or 2 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1/2 c. pearl barley

1/4 c. diced onion

1 1/4 c. salsa

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (32 oz.) box chicken stock

1 1/2 t. chili powder, or more to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken, barley, onion, salsa, corn, black beans, chicken stock and chili powder in the crock of a slow cooker.  Stir to combine and cook on high for 4-6 hrs.  Stir, taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Print Recipe

Let's see what the others made with Barley and Salsa

Welcome to the January 2017 edition of the Crazy Ingredient Challenge. This month our two ingredients are Barley & Salsa. Check the links below to see what our talented chefs came up with.

If you want to be part of the challenge in the future, shoot me an email lorisculinarycreations@hotmail.com.

1. One-Pot Cheesy Taco Barley Skillet

2. Passion Kneaded: Spanish-Style Barley - CIC

3. A Day in the Life on the Farm: Southwestern Chicke

4. Southwest Style Barley Salad with fresh Tomatoes

The collection has closed. Let other people know about it through twitter.