This hearty soup is an easy, versatile, budget-friendly meal that will satisfy your entire family!
Guest post from Brigette Shevy.
Why You’ll Love Chicken and Barley Soup
If you’re looking for a hearty and healthy way to use up some of that leftover Thanksgiving turkey, this recipe is for you!
My mom often made this filling soup during the fall and winter months, and I loved how it smelled while simmering on the stove.
It’s especially great if you’re feeling a little under the weather. Or when you need to counteract some of those high-fat caloric Thanksgiving foods. Ahem!
Chicken Barley Soup Ingredients
- 1 chicken (2-3 pounds), cut into pieces (I use 3 cups cooked diced chicken or turkey instead)
- 8 cups water (I use broth)
- 1 ½ cups diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ cup barley
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
How to Make Chicken and Barley Soup
1. Combine chicken and water in a large stock pot and boil until the chicken is tender.
2. Remove chicken from pan and put it on a large cutting board or rimmed baking sheet.
3. Debone the chicken, cutting it into bite-size pieces.
4. Cool broth and skim off fat (optional).
5. To the pot of broth, add 3 cups of chopped chicken and all remaining ingredients.
6. Simmer, covered, for at least one hour, or until vegetables and barley are tender.
7. Remove bay leaf and serve.
Chicken and Barley Soup Recipe Variations
The original recipe, published in the Taste of Home magazine, calls for a whole chicken. As far as I can remember, my mom always made it that way.
However, if I have leftover cooked chicken or turkey, I use that instead to save me some time in the kitchen.
You could also replace the barley with rice if you don’t have barley in the house.
And of course, feel free to mix up the veggies and seasonings depending on what you have in your fridge and pantry!
How long does chicken barley soup last in the fridge?
This soup will last for 4-5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Chicken Barley Vegetable Soup
Let the soup cool to room temperature, then scoop it into a freezer-safe storage container (or even a freezer zip-top bag).
Label and freeze!
How to Reheat Chicken Barley Soup
You can easily reheat a single serving of this soup in the microwave (right in the bowl). However, if you’re reheating a full container, it’s probably faster and easier to warm it up in a pan on the stove.
Keep the heat on medium-low, and stir regularly so the rice and chicken don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Barley Chicken Soup FAQS
No, just add it to the broth when you add the rest of the ingredients. It will become very tender after simmering for an hour.
Pearl barley (or pearled barley) is usually what we consider to be “barley” because it’s often what we find in the grocery store. Pearled barley is different than hulled barley (or barley groats) as pearled barley has the outer husk and the bran removed (so it’s slightly less nutritious than hulled barley).
No. It’s very hard to overcook barley — so don’t worry about simmering your soup for a bit longer.
If your soup really thickens up and becomes more like a barley porage than a soup, you can simply add a bit more water or broth to thin it out again.
Chicken Barley Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken cook a 2-3 pound chicken and get the meat
- 8 cups water or broth
- 1 ½ cups carrots diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup barley
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
Nutrition
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Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy. She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
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Looks so delicious and your first picture is gorgeous!
This soups seems like the perfect way to use up my turkey leftovers! Just a quick question: if you use the broth in place of the water, do you still need to use the chicken bouillon cube? I don’t have bouillon cubes and wondered how it would taste without it included in the soup. Thanks so much for all of your great recieps.
I wondered this, too. I have used other recipes where I substituted broth for water and skipped the bouillon cube. It will decrease the sodium content, of course, but usually broth is salty enough. I agree this recipe sounds delicious!
I don’t think it’s a huge deal to leave out the bouillon cube. Add extra salt and/or poultry seasoning at the very end if you need to.
Looks delicious!