Hearty Chicken and Barley Soup
In the cold winter months, it’s nice to have a go-to hearty soup recipe on hand for easy lunch and dinner options. We’ve created just that with our hearty chicken and barley soup recipe. Combined with chopped chicken breast, this soup will leave the tummy feeling satisfied, and full enough so you don’t have to graze the pantry for snacks after dinner.
We’ve incorporated barley into this soup, which is a great alternative to rice. Barley has a rich, nutlike flavor with a chewy, pasta-like consistency. This hearty soup is a great staple for the winter season. Just whip up a batch and freeze it for later, or serve a house-load of visitors during the holidays. Enjoy!
Serve this soup recipe in a fancy homemade bread bowl!
Hearty Chicken and Barley Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 - 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
- 3 cups water
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground sage
- 2 cups barley, NOT pearl
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Toss in onions, carrots and celery; sauté vegetables until softened, about 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute. Stir in flour.
- Pour in chicken broth, bouillon and 3 cups water. Add barley and chicken breasts then bring liquid to boil and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes.
- Remove chicken breasts carefully with tongs, shred into bite size pieces and return to pot. Stir in parsley, thyme, sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer an additional 15-20 minutes, or until barley is tender. Enjoy!
This is a very tasty soup! I added additional carrots, just ‘cause I like them, a lot! I also used Pearl barley since that was all I had on hand. I needed to add extra water to compensate and cooked a title longer.
Are you specifying not pearl barely because your just saying you didn’t use pearl or was there a reason to not use pearl barley?
This is my go to recipe for Chicken Barley Soup! Love it…. Making it again today for friend that was just released from hospital. I make it quite often for a change from Chicken Noodle Soup.
Thanks for sharing it with us.