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Chicken Soup with Barley

This chicken soup with barley is my favorite meal-prep recipe. It's rich and comforting, and it freezes perfectly.
5 from 14 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Inactive time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 526kcal

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

Chicken broth:

  • 4- pound chicken, giblets reserved for another use
  • 1 yellow onion, scrubbed and quartered (peels left on, if you like)
  • 3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into thirds
  • 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
  • 4 ribs of celery, rinsed and cut into thirds
  • 12 cups water, plus more if needed
  • Salt and black pepper

Chicken barley soup:

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 ribs celery with leaves, trimmed and diced; leaves minced
  • 4 carrots, peeled, trimmed, and sliced into rounds
  • 2 tablespoons butter, optional
  • 1 teaspoon dry thyme
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • Crushed red pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup pearled barley rinsed
  • 8 cups chicken broth (from the recipe above), plus 2–3 cups water if needed
  • cup loosely packed parsley, minced; a pinch reserved for garnish
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the chicken and broth:

  • Place the chicken in a large pot and add the onion, carrots, garlic, and celery. Season with 1–2 teaspoons salt. Don’t go overboard with salting; it will cook down, and you can always add more later. Add a few cracks of black pepper. Bring to a boil and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the chicken from the pot using tongs. Transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool.
  • Return the broth to a rapid simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes to reduce the broth further. It will be a dark golden brown.
  • Strain the broth into a large bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard solids.
  • Pick the chicken from the bones and shred the meat with your fingers. Transfer the shredded meat to the bowl of strained broth to keep it moist. Reserve the carcass for stock if you like.

Prepare the soup:

  • Wipe out the pot used to make the broth. You may wish to give it a quick rinse in the sink if you like.
  • Place it on a burner over medium-high heat. Add the neutral oil, and once hot, add the onions, celery with minced leaves, and carrots. Season all over with salt and pepper. Cook for 7–10 minutes until they begin to soften around the edges.
  • Melt the butter into the vegetables. Once bubbly, add the thyme, garlic powder, and paprika. Add a few generous shakes of crushed red pepper. Cook for 45 seconds until fragrant.
  • Add the barley and cook for 1 minute until lightly toasted. Season again with a pinch of salt.

Simmer the soup:

  • Pour in the broth and shredded chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30–40 minutes or until the barley is tender. The barley will absorb a lot of liquid; add 2–3 cups of water as needed at the end of cooking. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preferences.

Finish the soup:

  • Stir in the minced parsley and lemon juice. Taste and season, and then turn off the heat.

To serve:

  • Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with more fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 31g | Sodium: 189mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin C: 13mg
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