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a brown-gold chicken broth with tender pearl barley, chicken pieces, sliced mushrooms, carrot cubes and celery
Melissa Hart

Chicken Barley Soup

Brown the chicken lightly and use the same pot for mushrooms so the broth picks up their toasted edges, then give the pearl barley a head start before the meat returns. Check a grain from the center of the pot before serving: it should be tender all the way through with a little chew, and the soup should still have enough broth to move easily around the chicken and vegetables.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 2 carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 celery ribs diced
  • 3/4 cup pearl barley rinsed
  • 7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown chicken for 5 minutes, turning; transfer to a plate before it finishes cooking.
  2. Add onion, mushrooms, carrots and celery to the pot and cook for 8 minutes until softened, scraping up browned bits.
  3. Stir in barley, broth, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 25 minutes.
  4. Return the chicken and its juices to the pot and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes more until the barley is tender and the chicken reaches 165°F.
  5. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, stir and ladle into bowls while plenty of broth remains around the grains.