Go Back
–+ servings
freshly made chicken barley soup in a white bowl with a golden spoon in it.
Print Recipe Add to Collection
4.94 from 15 votes

Chicken Barley Soup

This delicious simple Chicken Barley Soup is loaded with just the right balance of hearty barley and tender chicken breast that is encased in the most incredible down-home extra chickeny broth! It’s a comforting meal that is sure to warm you up as the days get colder.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barley soup, chicken barley soup, chicken soup
Servings: 6
Calories: 222kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
  • 2 ribs celery chopped
  • 6 cups chicken broth low sodium
  • 2 chicken breasts whole, w/skin and/or bone in
  • ⅔ cup pearl barley rinsed
  • 1 cube chicken bouillon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and sauté for 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
    process shots showing how to make chicken barley soup.
  • Add the broth, chicken breasts, barley, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the barley is tender.
    process shots showing how to make chicken barley soup.
  • Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the pot and shred with two forks.
    process shots showing how to make chicken barley soup.
  • Add the chicken back to the soup. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.
    process shots showing how to make chicken barley soup.

Video

Notes

  1. Use pearl barley. It cooks much faster than standard barley. If you don’t use pearl barley you will need to increase the cooking time. 
  2. Season at the very end. All soup reduces as it cooks. So if you add additional salt too early on in the cooking process there is a good chance you will end up with salty soup.
  3. Make it creamy. To make creamy chicken barley soup just add a little heavy cream when you add the shredded chicken back into the pot at the end and then cook it for about 3 minutes to thicken up.  
  4. Leftover chicken barley soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 533mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4089IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg