Chicken Barley Soup

At a glance

What stands out: This hearty chicken barley soup is supremely satisfying, full of rich flavor, and straightforward to mix. Comfort food perfection!

How long it takes: 1 hour 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: Dutch oven or soup pot
Servings: 6

Chicken barley soup proves that comfort food doesn’t have to be brownies and cheesy casseroles. (Although yes, we do love brownies and cheesy casseroles.) This warm bowl brims with comfort but it’s also full of stuff that is good for you—and it’s not difficult to make. It doesn’t get much better than that!

We've shared our recipes for chicken rice soup and chicken noodle soup (and we love them!) but adding barley is another variation to try, especially if you like your soups hearty and filling. Barley has a fantastic chewy bite—you’ll also find it in this beef barley soup—and we love the substance and nutrition it adds to this straightforward chicken soup recipe.

Snuggle up with a bowl of this soup, a blanket, and a fire in the fireplace—who needs cheesy casseroles?! You’ve got all the comfort food goodness you need right here!

Hearty Chicken Barley Soup

Chicken soup, with extra satisfaction. We find that barley is much more hearty and filling than the typical noodles that are added to chicken soup, which means this chicken barley soup feels more like a complete meal on its own. Barley is not gluten-free but it’s a nutritious alternative to noodles.

The quintessential sick day soup. This is the soup you make your kids when they’re home from school with strep; the one you bring to your neighbor after a surgery; the one you keep on hand in the freezer for those times when your whole body aches and you just know you’re coming down with something.

Straightforward to mix. Scroll down to the recipe card and you’ll notice that the steps involved in this recipe are short and sweet. There’s absolutely nothing complicated about chicken barley soup!

What goes in

• Mirepoix: Onion, celery, and carrots form the base of flavor for chicken barley soup. The veggies are sautéed in a splash of olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
• Garlic: Mince garlic cloves with a knife or push them through a garlic press. You can add extra garlic if you prefer a more garlicky soup.
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs: You could easily substitute breasts if you’re not a fan of thighs.
• Reduced sodium chicken broth: Using reduced sodium broth puts you in control of the flavor of the finished soup. From-scratch stock is also fantastic!
• Herbs: We like to use dried herbs from our pantry because they’re so convenient. Dried parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf do the trick. If you prefer fresh herbs, that’s fine, too.
• Pearl barley: There are a few types of barley. Pearl barley is the most common. It has been processed to remove the outer husk and bran layer. It cooks more quickly than hulled barley which is darker in color. Don’t use speedy-cooking barley, as it will get mushy. (If you can’t find barley, try our chicken farro soup which is somewhat similar.)

How it comes together

Sweat the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Cook the mirepoix (diced carrots, celery, onion) with the salt and pepper until the veggies are softened but not browned. Stir in the garlic and keep stirring until it’s fragrant.

Simmer. Stir in the chicken, broth, herbs, and barley. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. (Usually medium-low is a good simmering temperature, but stovetops can vary; you may need to set yours to low.) Cover and cook for 45 minutes, or until both the barley and chicken are cooked.

Finish. Discard the bay leaf and remove the chicken pieces to a platter. After the chicken cools enough to handle, shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken to the soup, season to taste, and serve.

Ways to change it

• Make it extra hearty. Our original version of this recipe was a clean-out-the-fridge soup that included diced butternut squash and kale. You can add one or both of these if you’d like, or add other vegetables you may have in your fridge. Parsnips, turnips, or other greens would be good choices.
• Leave out the chicken. For a vegetarian version of this soup, simply omit the chicken. Barley soup is hearty enough without it! If you want to add plant protein, stir in a can of rinsed and drained white beans, such as cannellini or great Northern.
• Adjust the consistency. Chicken barley soup can be quite thick, so if you’d like (and especially if you end up adding the optional kale and butternut squash), add more broth.
• Use rotisserie chicken. Then all you’ll have to do is de-bone that beast (hate that job!) and throw it all together until the barley is nice and tender.

Serving Ideas

Bread/Crackers. Dutch oven bread and Parker House rolls are reliable for soaking up the flavorful broth at the bottom of the bowl. We also love from-scratch beer bread which is a faster option. It can bake while the soup cooks. If you’re more of a soup and crackers person, try from-scratch crackers. Our kids love these straightforward from-scratch Cheez-It crackers!

Sandwiches. An air fryer grilled cheese sandwich with chicken barley soup is our ideal sick day lunch. An egg salad sandwich is great, too.

Salads. Pair your soup with this simple house salad recipe, German cucumber salad, or a bowl of citrus salad.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Store leftover chicken barley soup in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. Note that it will continue to thicken during storage as the barley releases starch, and this is okay! After a few days, it may be more of a stew than a soup and the broth will be richer and almost creamy.

Freeze: Transfer the soup to an airtight container or freezer bag. (we like using freezer bags because we can press out the excess air and freeze them flat to save space.) Chicken barley soup will keep up to 3 months in the freezer; thaw it in the fridge before reheating.

Reheat: Warm up chicken barley soup in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a splash of broth to loosen it up if needed. The microwave works too, but because the soup thickens up, we find the stovetop is better for even reheating.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #88. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Kale Soup – lighter & flavorful!

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• Yield: 6
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 55 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion (about 1 yellow onion)
• 1 cup chopped celery ( 2 stalks celery)
• 1 cup chopped carrots ( 2 carrots)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water, or additional broth
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• ¾ cup pearl barley (not quick cooking)

Method

1. Heat oil in a large soup pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery, and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper, stirring frequently until onions are softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.
2. Add garlic and continue cooking, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Add chicken, broth, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and barley; stir to combine.
4. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook the soup for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender and chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove bay leaf, discard. Remove chicken from pan, place on a plate, and shred or chop when cool enough to handle.
6. Return the chicken to the soup; taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Notes

Recipe revised 1/2024. Previously published as Chicken Barley Soup with Butternut Squash and Kale. If desired, recipe can be modified to include 4 cups chopped butternut squash and 6 cups roughly chopped kale. Add more broth as needed.

Vegetarian: Omit chicken and use vegetable broth. If desired, add 1 can drained and rinsed white beans.

Storage: Leftover chicken barley soup can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. To freezer, transfer the soup to an airtight container or freezer bag. (we like using freezer bags because we can press out the excess air and freeze them flat to save space.) Chicken barley soup will keep up to 3 months in the freezer; thaw it in the fridge before reheating.