Chicken and Barley Soup
Chicken and barley soup is the perfect comforting and hearty dish to warm you right up!
Servings 8
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.