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

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