chicken mushroom barley soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cups thickly sliced carrots
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon each sea salt and pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, dried
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste*
• 1 - 32 ounces box of chicken broth or 4 cups
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 - 3/4 cups barley
• 3 - raw chicken breast, cubed
• - sea salt and pepper to taste