Chicken Barley Soup
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Incredibly flavorful and packed with nutrients, this wonderful Chicken Barley Soup recipe is sure to become a family favorite! Make double batch while you’re at it because it’s great for leftovers or freezing!
The weather here is crazy today! A total downpour of rain, gusts of wind, and waves crashing up on the shore. This Chicken Barley Soup is exactly what this kind of weather calls for!
Soups are one of the reasons I find myself looking forward to weather like this because it means snuggling up to a bowl of hot comfort. Here is my recipe for a classic chicken barley soup that is rich in flavor, packed with nutrients, and satisfying to both tummy and soul.
Barley is such a fabulous tasting grain and I wonder why we don’t use it more often. Though it was one of the first ever domesticated grains, is the 4th highest produced grain in the world and is a staple in some cuisines around the world, it isn’t much for cooking in the U.S.. It’s still widely used in the production of cereals, animal food and beer, but it’s not often that you see dishes featuring barley. Perhaps that stems from barley having been designated as peasant food during medieval Europe while wheat was regarded as the grain of the upper class. But for flavor and nutrition I would take barley over wheat any day.
What are some ways you use barley in cooking or baking? Share your ideas in a comment below!
Barley adds a delicious flavor and texture to this soup in the same way it does to this Beef Barley Soup. It’s simple to make and the leftovers taste even better the next day. Sautéing the vegetables before simmering the soup brings out their sweetness and flavor so don’t skip that step.
We’re confident you’re going to love this Chicken Barley Soup!
Let’s get started!
Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a pot. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 10 minutes. This will bring out more of their flavor.
Add the barley and cook for another minute.
Add all remaining ingredients except for the parsley. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for one hour.
Remove the chicken, remove the meat from the bones and dice it, discard the skin and bones, and return the meat to the soup. Add the parsley.
Simmer for another minute until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately or let it cool completely and store in the fridge. This makes great leftovers!
Enjoy!
Be sure to also try our delicious Beef Barley Soup!
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Chicken Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion ,chopped
- 2 cloves garlic ,minced
- 3 large carrots ,diced
- 2 large celery stalks ,diced
- 1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 1/2 pound bone-in chicken pieces (can also use chicken breast but bone-in pieces provide a vastly superior flavor)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried chopped sage, 1/4 teaspoon if ground
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute the onions until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the barley and cook for another minute.
- Add all remaining ingredients except for the parsley. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the chicken, remove the meat from the bones and dice it, discard the skin and bones, and return the meat to the soup. Add the parsley. Simmer for another minute until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Absolutely amazing Chicken Barley Soup. I’ve tried numerous recipes to try and make a Chicken soup which tastes similar to the hearty soups I ate when I was younger and living at home. All my attempts were unsuccessful because they missed the key ingredient of Parsley Root … it’s a staple ingredient for soups in Poland. But hard to find in UK (unless you live in a big city).
You’re a fabulous chef. I now have a soup which ALL of my family (and my mother-in-law!) simply love.
Thank you
Rob, thank you so much for that kind and generous compliment <3 I'm so happy that you enjoyed this recipe and appreciate the feedback. I agree with you on that key ingredient - it's a central flavor in many German soups as well and it reminds me of home. Thanks again!
Soup is wonderful Kimberly. You are a fantastic cook.
Thank you so much, Rosemarie! :)
I wish you wouldn’t use cups as a measurement!! or at least put the equivalent grams measurement
The internet is world wide not just for Dumb Americans who can’t use a set of scales!!
Ah, but my blog and I happen to be in America ;) And speaking of dumb versus smart, the measurements are easy enough to convert using a simple online calculator. That said, all of my recipes from the past year and forward have a conversion tool that does it automatically – the older recipes will eventually all have that feature as well, but it will take some time to go through 700+ recipes.
Dumb Americans? Excuse me, but you happen to live in America, or do you? If you do, learn American measurements ……. if I moved to your country, I’d have to learn yours. Don’t be so critical of things you obviously don’t know!!
As a US citizen, I would be happy if the US would convert to metric; however, it is rude and low class behavior to attack the citizens of a country just because their measuring system differs from yours.
I forgot to rate it.
This soup is wonderful – I have been making it weekly and freezing it in individual containers!
Fantastic, Teri, thanks so much!
This was AMAZING!!!!! I substituted rotisserie chicken because I was feeling kinda lazy but I got raves from my family. I will be making this again!
Fantastic, Ashley, thanks so much!
Just tried this soup recipe with pork instead. My 4yo loves it. Added pasta spirals to fill him up. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
Wonderful, Joanna, I’m so glad your son enjoyed it, thank you!
It’s so cold here and all I can think about is how great this soup would be right now. It looks perfect!
That’s a big bowl of comfort right there. My mom used to make barley soup. Love that yours has chicken in it. I want to slurp about 3 bowls of this right this minute.
I love warm, filling soups! This sounds like a great recipe for a rainy day!
This is comfort in a bowl. I just want to dive into the pictures! The broth looks so rich and lucious. Yum!
This is an old favorite that I haven’t made in years! I love how warm and nourishing your soup looks and the use of fresh herbs.
I am such a soup lover. We have soup at least once a week year round. Both of your barley soups look fantastic.
It’s been so chilly in San Diego recently. I’ve been craving soup daily. Need to add this to the rotation. Looks so hearty and delicious!!