This Chicken Barley Soup is the ultimate comfort food, offering a soothing, creamy texture with hearty barley replacing the usual noodles or rice. Simple to make, perfect for meal prep, and even better as leftovers, this cozy soup can be enjoyed any day of the week.
Soup is my thing—any time of year, any kind of soup, I’m in. It’s comforting, it’s cozy, and honestly, it just makes me feel good. Soup is on my menu at least twice a week—sometimes more. And when I need a little extra comfort, there’s nothing better than a warm bowl of homemade Chicken Barley Soup.
Why chicken soup? Well, it’s pretty much the ultimate comfort food, right? It’s that go-to remedy for everything from a cold to a rough day. But, I like to mix it up a bit. Instead of the usual noodles or rice, I’ve added barley to this chicken soup, and let me tell you, it makes all the difference. The barley gives the soup a creamy, hearty texture that’s perfect for cozying up with. Every spoonful feels like a hug for my belly.
Another thing I love about this Chicken Barley Soup is how easy it is to make ahead of time. It tastes just as delicious the next day, and you can even freeze it for a quick meal later. It’s the kind of soup that gets better with time, so it’s perfect for leftovers.
So, if you’re a fellow soup lover—or if you’re just looking for a comforting meal to warm you up—this Chicken Barley Soup is definitely worth trying. It’s simple, hearty, and full of flavor. What’s not to love?
Ingredients:
10 cups water
3 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
2 dry bay leaves
5 peppercorns
1 Tablespoon butter or oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1-2 celery stalks, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ - ½ cup pearled barley
2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
salt, ground black pepper
fresh herbs, to garnish (dill, parsley, green onion)
Instructions:
Place the chicken, bay leaves, peppercorns and water in a large pot. 
Bring to a boil, season with salt and cook until the chicken is tender and the meat is falling off the bone. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or a paper towel. 
When cool enough to handle, take the meat off the bone. Set aside. You will have about 8 cups of broth and 1 cup of meat. If you have chicken broth and cooked chicken on hand, you can save some time by using it instead of starting from scratch.
Rinse out the same pot that you used to cook the broth. Melt the butter (or use oil) on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. 
Cook for about 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. 
Add the barley, potatoes, the reserved broth and chicken. 
If you are using cooked chicken breast, do not add it to the soup until it's completely cooked and right before you turn it off, otherwise the meat will be really tough and rubbery.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the barley is fully cooked. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. You can also add more or less broth or water, to adjust the thickness of the soup. Off the heat, add the fresh herbs.
This soup freezes well, so making a big batch like this one is a great idea.
Chicken Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- 3 chicken drumsticks skin removed
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 Tablespoon butter or oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1-2 celery stalks chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- ⅓ - ½ cup pearled barley
- 2-3 potatoes peeled and chopped
- fresh herbs to garnish (dill, parsley, green onion)
Instructions
- Place the chicken, bay leaves, peppercorns and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, season with salt and cook until the chicken is tender and the meat is falling off the bone.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or a paper towel. When cool enough to handle, take the meat off the bone. Set aside. You will have about 8 cups of broth and 1 cup of meat. If you have chicken broth and cooked chicken on hand, you can save some time by using it instead of starting from scratch.
- Rinse out the same pot that you used to cook the broth. Melt the butter (or use oil) on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the barley, potatoes, the reserved broth and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the barley is fully cooked.
- Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. You can also add more or less broth or water, to adjust the thickness of the soup. Off the heat, add the fresh herbs.
Notes
I will definitely try to make this this but I'm not sure about barley my husband and kids are very picky and celery if my kids see it they won't eat it. Can I replace celery and barley with something else?
You can just omit the celery and replace the barley with whatever you typically put in soup - pasta, rice, etc.
Made this soup today. Where was I all this time ? Totally missed out ! It will be one of our favorites from now on! Thank you ! Be blessed
That's great to hear, Julie. I'm so glad you enjoyed this soup.
Olga this was easy, quick and delicious! Thank you! and congratulations on your baby boy! God bless your little family! Wish you a quick recovery!
Thank you, Irina:).
I made this soup yesterday. We loved it. My husband especially and that means so much to me when he likes something new i cook. Thanks for taking ur time and posting new recipes
That's so great, Liliya. I totally know what you mean - it means so much to me when my husband likes something I cooked.
This is exactly how I make my chicken soup. My husband and kids don't like noodles in their soup, so I always make it with potatoes, and always add barely if I have any. I always use drumsticks to make a fast broth and add the shredded chicken back in. My kids favorite soup! =)
Thanks for taking the time to write, Alla.
Thanks for the recipe, I love barley but not many recipes call for it. Also fun to see you use drumsticks, I do that quite a bit when making chicken soup and rarely see them used when making soup.
You're right, Tallya. I noticed that too. Barley is very rarely used. I really like the flavor and texture. It's something I always have in my pantry. I've had to create many different recipes with barley to satisfy my cravings. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the soup. Drumsticks and wings are my favorite to use in soups if I don't have any Chicken Broth on hand. Thanks for taking the time to write.
This sounds delicious..Definitely making this today...BTW you added potatoes twice on the recipe printable. 🙂
Thanks for catching that, Olga:).
Made your soup olga!! It was delicious!
We love barley, our favorite grain.
we usually make a barley soup that has veggies, tomatoes, beans, zucchini etc and we love it too, but with no veggies on had this was good and tasted Ukrainian.
Im finding your recipes are great... Because i know how to cook, but i need a makover in cooking,t my husband cant stomach much, just the way he is, mostly vegetarian. Im finding that u cook light since your mgv probably, and u know what, its to our benefit. Because thats what im looking for!!!
That's great, Lez! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the soup. It's a very simple one for sure. I do like to cook very light and healthy meals. I can't even eat many of the things that I post here on the blog:). My favorite foods to eat are ones that will make me feel good afterwards.
Yum!!! This looks delicious olga! Want some now 🙂 Gonna try making it.