The past two Christmases I have tried to give as many homemade gifts as I could. Not only does it help to lower my holiday budget, but I also think that homemade gifts are more personal. This year I decided to make gifts in jars. There is no shortage of ideas on Pinterest but I was able to narrow it to down to “pampering in a jar”, brown sugar body scrub, and this excellent multigrain chicken soup mix. I had lots of supplies left over so I made a pot of soup a few weeks ago. It was so good I knew I had to share the recipe with you.
Aren’t the layers pretty?
Multigrain Chicken Soup
Print this recipe!
For the jar:
3/4 cup brown rice
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup yellow or green split peas
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Layer rice, barley, lentils, and peas in a jar. Top with the spices and screw on lid.
To make the soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, diced
4 large carrots, sliced
2 large ribs celery, sliced
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
10-12 cups chicken broth, water, or a combination of both
Contents of the jar
Salt and pepper
Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a dutch oven or stock pot. Saute carrots for 2-4 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add in the onion and celery and cook until softened and the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and move the vegetables to the sides of the pot and put the chicken in the middle. Let it cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, then flip and cook the other side. Add the liquid and bring it all to a boil. Add the ingredients in the jar, return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 45 minutes to an hour, until the rice and barley are soft.
-Adapted from Our Bower
To give as a gift, I made simple labels, and attached the recipe to a ribbon and tied it around the top. Simple and pretty.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I can attest to the fact that this soup is fantabulous!
And the pampering in a jar was awesome! 🙂