This soup gets its bright green color from being puréed with spinach and herbs while Pacific Foods Chicken Broth lends a boost in flavor. While not necessary, blending lends a creaminess to the soup that nicely contrasts with the tender poached chicken and spicy sizzled coriander. It also looks a lot cooler that way, so there’s that! Recipe from Molly Baz’s cookbook ‘More Is More’
Trim the hairy ends of the leek and discard. Slice the entire leek (including the dark green part of the stalk) in half and rinse well under cold water to remove any dirt and grit from all layers. Thinly slice crosswise into half moons. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Chop the celery. Peel, smash, and roughly chop the garlic cloves.
Sauté your aromatics and start the soup. In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add leeks, onions, and celery, sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Decrease heat if necessary to prevent browning. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring, until garlic is softened and aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add chicken broth, garbanzo beans, pearled barley, chicken thighs, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. As foam comes to the surface, skim with a spoon and discard. Reduce heat as needed to maintain a simmer and let cook until chicken and barley are tender, and soup is reduced and thickened, 35 to 45 minutes.
While the soup simmers, make the sizzled coriander oil. With a slow, steady movement, carefully chop 1 heaping tablespoon coriander seeds with a chef’s knife, or crush with the bottom of a heavy skillet. (Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle and pound until coarsely crushed.) In a small skillet, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, season with black pepper. Sauté until aromatic and sizzling, and coriander appears lightly toasted. Transfer to a small bowl and season to taste with flaky sea salt.
To finish making the soup, remove chicken from the soup. Transfer to a cutting board and shred into large pieces. Add 8 ounces baby spinach to the pot. Fold until just wilted, about 1 minute. Roughly chop 1 large bunch cilantro, including tender stems. This should measure about 2 cups, packed. Roughly chop enough dill from 1 bunch to measure ⅔ cup, packed. Set half of the herbs aside for finishing. Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender, along with the remaining half of the dill and cilantro. Puree until very smooth and green. Add puree back into the soup, along with the shredded chicken, lemon juice and remaining chopped dill and cilantro. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, divide among serving bowls, and serve, topped with a hefty dollop of yogurt, labne, or sour cream and a drizzle of sizzled coriander oil.
This nutritional information refers to each serving of the entire recipe and not just the products used as ingredients.