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Hearty Chicken Barley Soup

This is a classic chicken soup made with barley instead of noodles or rice. The recipe starts by making a quick chicken broth from scratch, which gives the soup a much richer flavor than using store-bought broth.
Prep Time15 minutes
Active Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 8 cups Cold water
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 large Yellow onion diced
  • 4 large Carrots chopped
  • 3 stalks Celery chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 cup Hulled or pearl barley rinsed
  • 1/2 Lemon juiced
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt to taste
  • Black pepper freshly ground, to taste

Instructions

  • Place chicken thighs and bay leaves in stockpot with 8 cups cold water. Bring to boil, reduce to low, cover and simmer 30-40 minutes.
  • Remove chicken, let cool. Strain broth through fine-mesh sieve.
  • Heat olive oil in same pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery 10 minutes until soft.
  • Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
  • Return strained broth to pot. Add barley, bring to boil, reduce to medium-low.
  • Cover and simmer 45 minutes.
  • Shred chicken, discarding bones and skin.
  • Add shredded chicken during final 10 minutes of cooking.
  • Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper.

Notes

For pearl barley, reduce cooking time to 25 minutes. Skim any foam during initial broth-making for clearer soup.