Chicken and barley soup is the perfect comforting and hearty dish to warm you right up!
Jump to RecipeIt’s no secret that I absolutely LOVE soup. I especially love the chewy, hearty texture of barley in a soup. Add to that the fact that barley is a whole-grain and you’ve got a well-balanced nutritious and delicious dish!
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To make this recipe, you’ll first have to heat the vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once it’s heated, add your chicken breast(s) and sear for about 5 minutes per side. Once your chicken is cooked, use silicone tongs to carefully remove from the stockpot and set aside so they can rest for a bit.
While your chicken is searing, chop up the vegetables you’ll need for your soup. Dice the tomato, chop the carrots and celery, and mince the garlic. My family is not a big fan of large chunks of celery so I typically cut it in half lengthwise and then chop so the pieces are smaller.
Once your chicken is cooked and resting, add the garlic to your stockpot. Saute for about 30 seconds before adding the rest of the vegetables. Saute for another 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly softened. Watch the time! You don’t want them to be too soft at this stage since they’ll be simmering later.
Once your veggies are slightly softened, add the barley, chicken broth, and seasonings. Bring your soup up to a boil before covering, reducing heat to low and allowing to simmer for about 30 minutes or until the barley is tender.
Finally, shred your chicken and add it back to the stockpot. Stir well, remove from heat, and enjoy!
If you try this recipe, please be sure to leave a rating and your thoughts in the comments below. Don’t forget to tag me @HookomOnHealth and use the #HookomOnHealth so that I can see your creations online. Enjoy!
Please note there are Amazon affiliate links in this post. While the cost to you is the same, I do earn a small commission on any sales made through the links in this post. I would never recommend anything that I don’t believe in–thank you for your support!
Chicken and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 large carrots peeled and chopped into rounds
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 3/4 cup dry pearled barley rinsed
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and sear until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from stockpot and set aside once cooked.
- Add garlic to stockpot and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add barley, chicken broth, bay leaf, dried parsley, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until barley is tender, about 30 minutes.
- Shred chicken, return to stockpot, stir well and enjoy!
Notes
- Pearled barley can often be found with the other grains in the grocery store -- sometimes it's available in the bulk aisle as well!
- Mix it up by adding brown rice, farro, or another whole grain instead of barley. Just make sure you adjust the cook time as needed.
- Save time by using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. Just shred about 2 cups worth and stir in at the end to warm it back up.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.