Classic Chicken Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced (~1.5 cups)
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 2 large celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 9 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2.5 tsp kosher salt to start
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Sweat the Vegetables

In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, get the olive oil shimmering over medium-high heat.

Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for ~5-7 minutes, stirring every so often, until the vegetables soften and the onions turn translucent at the edges.

Simmer and Cook the Chicken

Add the rinsed barley, whole chicken thighs, chicken broth, bay leaves, kosher salt, and black pepper to the pot. Give it a good stir.

Bring everything to a boil, then immediately knock the heat down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for ~45-50 minutes. The barley should be tender and the chicken should be cooked to ~165F internal.

Shred the Chicken and Finish

Carefully take the chicken thighs out of the pot. They should be tender enough to shred easily with two forks.

Return the shredded chicken to the soup, stir in the fresh parsley, and make sure to pull out the bay leaves before serving.

Classic Chicken Barley Soup

Using pearl barley is key here; it gives the soup a satisfying chew that quick-cooking barley just can’t match. Chicken thighs are also non-negotiable, as they stay tender through the long simmer while breasts would just dry out.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion ~1.5 cups, finely diced
• 4 medium carrots diced
• 2 large celery ribs finely diced
• 1 cup pearl barley rinsed
• 9 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2.5 tsp kosher salt to start
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Cook onion, carrots, and celery 5-7 minutes until softened.
• Add barley, whole chicken thighs, broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
• Bring to boil, reduce to low, cover and simmer 45-50 minutes until barley is tender and chicken reaches 165°F.
• Remove chicken, shred with forks.
• Return shredded chicken to pot, stir in parsley.
• Remove bay leaves before serving.

Notes

Soup will thicken as it sits due to barley absorption.