Food Storage Friday: Chicken Barley Chili

Catch up on reading, we've been busy this week:

Reader Question: Car Kit, Emergency or Everyday Use?

Food Storage Hunt: Check out my food storage spots!


Today's recipe comes from the back of the quick barley box. I can't remember why Mountain Man was holding the box (maybe shifting contents of the cupboard?) but he looked at the back and said, hey this looks delicious...hey! it's food storage friendly! What a catch.



Canned goods: Salsa, black beans, diced tomatoes, whole kernel corn, chicken

Mountain Man commented that a good way to get onions into a food storage dish is to add salsa.


Seasonings: cumin, chili powder, and chicken bouillon. The recipe calls for chicken stock, but I store bouillon instead for space saving.

Star of our show! Barley has a delicious texture. I like it better than rice.


In the pot add the tomatoes, salsa, and bouillon

Don't forget to add the water for the bouillon when you add the water from the recipe.

Add the barley
chili powder

cumin

And bring to a boil. When it's bubbling nicely, turn the heat down to a simmer and let it go, covered for 20 minutes.


Use this downtime to drain your canned chicken


and shred it for better texture.


Also drain and rinse your beans now. You drastically reduce the amount of sodium in your canned beans by draining and rinsing them.

After the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, it's time to add the rest of the ingredients.

Corn, undrained!

Beans
chicken
Stir it all together.

Bring to another boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat again and let simmer for 5 minutes or until your barley is done. My barley was done before five minutes were over.

The result? A delicious and hearty food storage chili.


Served with a little whole wheat focaccia is just what the doctor ordered for a chilly night.


Chicken Barley Chili
on the back of the Quaker Quick Barley Box

1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (16oz) jar salsa
1 (14oz) can chicken broth (or I used 2 chicken bouillon cubes and 2 cups of water)
1 cup quick barley
3 cups water
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin

Combine these 7 ingredients into a (big) pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15oz) can corn, undrained
1-2 (13oz) can chicken (I used one can and I thought it was plenty)

Rinse and drain black beans. Shred chicken in separate bowl. Then add chicken, black beans and corn to the chili mixture. Increase the heat to high and again bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low and let simmer for 5 minutes or until barley is tender. Makes 11 cups.