Chicken Barley Soup

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!