This is one of my very favorite soup recipes. It is as close as I have come to duplicating a soup served at a restaurant called Annie's that was in the Congress Hotel in Chicago about five years ago. The recipe is a bit more work than your typical chicken soup, but it is worth it.

Clean chicken and remove excess fat. Pat dry with paper towels. In an 8-quart pot, over medium high heat, brown chicken in oil. Remove chicken and place in a large bowl. Discard fat remaining in pot. Return chicken pieces to pot and add water, onions, salt, and pepper.

Rinse barley with running cold water. Add to soup. Bring soup to a boil. Lower flame, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is fork-tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove chicken to a large bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes or until easy to handle. Remove chicken bones and skin and cut meat into bite-size pieces.

Skim fat from broth. Add chicken, celery, parsley, carrots, parsnip, mushrooms, and peas. Bring soup to a boil. Lower flame, cover, and simmer 40 minutes. Serve hot.