Chicken-Barley Soup with Herbs and Egg Noodles

A nice twist on chicken noodle soup with the barley and mushrooms (I actually also threw in some carrot for the color). I liked the addition of lemon at the end to add a little brightness and tang to the flavor. This nice hearty winter comfort soup, served with a big chunk of homemade sour dough bread, will definitely go in to my repeat rotation.

I thought the amount of liquids in this recipe was incorrect. It just seemed like too much. But, I was wrong. The amount is correct. By the time the noodles and the barley stop absorbing liquid you realize that it really does need all that stock and water. You can modify the recipe by add a full 12 ounce bag of noodles if you like, and you can make a thick soup by omitting one quart of the water.  One problem with this recipe, however, is that it requires a really big pot. Be prepared. I'm not really sure that a regular enameled cast iron casserole will do the trick. I used a stock pot. Finally, I'm not sure that all the work is worth it. There are a number of really good recipes out there for chicken noodle soup and this one is simply middle of the line. There's certainly nothing wrong with it, it's fine. But I do not believe it is great or worth all the trouble.

I am making this right now and wondering if the 4 quarts of chicken broth is correct. That seems like an awful lot, along with 2 quarts of water, for just 8 servings. I started with just one quart and we'll see...

Great dish, especially with some fresh tarragon sprinkled on top. Nice and thick! I did use a little less liquid than the recipe called for. I'll be tempted to try and figure out how to rewrite the recipe to use a pressure cooker and skinned chicken thighs, in order to cut down the cooking time and so be able to make it more often ...