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I don’t know about you, but I love soup. Like, really love soup. And you know what? My mom makes the best soup – especially the best chicken barley soup. It used to be chicken noodle soup, but when we started eating healthier, we switched out barley for the noodles and love it just as much. Even my younger siblings (who can be picky on certain things) really like the barley in this soup!
I’ve tried to recreate my mom’s chicken soup before (which resulted in this Chicken Barley Veggie Soup recipe), but as is my habit when making soup, I added everything from the fridge that needed to be used up and ended up with almost more soup than would fit in our 6-qt. kettle. It tasted great, but it just wasn’t quite like my mom’s. If you take a look at the recipe below and compare it to this recipe, you’ll see why….
Put simply, my mom’s chicken soup is very simple. It’s a classic.
So you know what I did this time? I asked my mom to make the soup like she usually does and write down the recipe for me. And she did. <3
Chunks of chicken, carrot, and celery in a flavorful-but-simple broth…
Be sure to check out the Notes section of the recipe for answers to FAQs!
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- 9 c. low-fat chicken broth*
- 2 c. chopped carrots
- 2 c. chopped celery
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- -
- 4-6 c. cooked, diced chicken breast**
- 4 c. cooked barley***
- 1 T. each cilantro, parsley flakes
- ½ tsp. each basil, dill weed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Additional chicken bouillon, to taste****
- Salt, to taste
- Add the broth and vegetables to a large soup kettle and cook until tender.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat until everything is heated through. If possible, simmer for an hour or two to let the flavors meld. Taste and add some chicken bouillon for a stronger flavor if desired, then taste and add as much salt as needed (don't skimp on this).
**If using the lesser amount of chicken, you may wish to increase the amount of vegetables.
***1 c. uncooked barley yields approx. 4 c. cooked.
****If you can't find an allergy-friendly bouillon, use nutritional yeast instead.
I love this soup! Which book is it in.
This one is in Convenient Food.
I am having some now and it’s so delicious! I’ve made it many times.
I do not have Barley but I have Arborio, Quinoa, Wild Rice and Brown Basmati Rice. Which would you recommend and would you still use a cup?
Thanks!
Whatever sounds good to you! Brown rice or quinoa would be my picks. Just follow the package directions on whatever you choose to make 4 cups cooked. The amounts will vary depending on what you use.
I didn’t read the directions all the way before I started dumping everything into my IP. I guess I figured it’s soup, it’ll all work. ??♀️ Anyway, I didn’t realize that barley expands so much and put a whole bag of uncooked barley in. I only had room for 5 cups of broth, too. Although we didn’t get soup, it tasted amazing! It was very similar to chicken and rice. I will definitely make it again! I might even make those same mistakes again. ?
Wondering if I could use Quinoa in this recipe? I could not find barley at my market..
You’re welcome to try! That would probably work, although it won’t have as substantial a “bite” as the barley.
Can u just throw it all in a crock pot and cook
I haven’t tried that but you’re welcome to experiment. I find that I can usually get a fresher flavor and keep better control of the end textures of the individual ingredients by doing it in steps on the stovetop rather than cooking everything for the same amount of time all at once. 🙂 You may need to experiment with adding uncooked barley + extra liquid instead of adding cooked barley with raw vegetables to the crockpot (since the barley may be mushy by the time the vegetables are cooked).
Is the cilantro in this recipe supposed to be fresh or dried? Thank you!
Dried. 🙂 If I use fresh cilantro in my recipes, I note that.
I am so happy to see the soup recipes. I plan to purchase your cook book soon, new to THM. There is so much to buy. Can I substitute for the barley? Quinoa?
Sure, cooked quinoa would probably be a good substitute. 🙂
Hey there Brianna! I made this soup last night. I’m having it for lunch right now! So yummy! What is the serving size?
I’m glad you’re enjoying it! The recipe makes 12-14 servings, but it’s not very carb heavy so there’s not a lot of danger of overdoing the carbs. Just enjoy it until you’re satisfied but not stuffed.
Made this for my work luncheon. Everyone loved it! Thank you Briana!
Without the barley, and without subbing rice, would this then be an S? Or maybe a FP?
Without the barley, it would be a FP, but I would add some extra veggies for filler. 🙂
Briana, I made this soup last night for my husband and kids. One of these kids is a super picky eater, but he gobbled this up. It was delicious!!
I’ve never used barley. Is there a specific kind that I should use?
I believe I heard at one point that hulled barley is preferred over pearled barley for THM because it’s less processed, but my mom does the grocery shopping and I’m not sure which kind she used.
Making this now, my house smells great and I am so looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!!
Thanks!
Would this work in the crock pot? or power pressure cooker? Any suggestions for adapting? Thanks for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try it in a cold day! ?
If making it in a crockpot, I would cook everything but the barley and chicken on high until the vegetables are tender, then add the barley and chicken and cook on low until heated through. You could also experiment with putting everything – vegetables, raw chicken, and uncooked barley – in the crockpot and cooking all day, but I haven’t done that and don’t know how long the individual components would take to cook. I’m only 20 – I don’t have a lot of experience with crockpot cooking. 😉 I prefer to just cook on the fly. 😛
I threw everything into my InstantPot – cubed raw chicken, and 1 cup dry barley (which Briana said would be 4 cups cooked) – pressed the ‘soup’ button, and left it to do its thing. It was AWESOME! 🙂 I’m making it again this weekend, and will do it the same way. When it was first done, the broth was thin (but flavorful). The next day it was more stew-like (from the barley, I think – I have never used barley before) and it was just as good! Really great recipe!
Hey, that’s a neat idea! Thanks for sharing!
I did the same exact thing & it was DELICIOUS!!!
Can this soup be frozen? I’m thinking about the barley in particular.
I’m not sure having never tried it, but I think it would probably be OK.
Which chicken bouillon s thm friendly?
I’m not exactly sure on that. I think they actually have a recipe for it in their cookbook, but I haven’t tried it. I usually just look for one that doesn’t have much sugar per serving. The Better Than Bouillon stuff has a good taste, and I think the ingredients are cleaner than most.
Can we use quinoa or something else instead of barley? Not a barley fan….
Sure! Either quinoa or brown rice would be good options.