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This hearty chicken barley soup will keep you full with high fiber barley and lots of big chicken chunks. It has a homestyle feel that will warm up any winter day and even make the pickiest eaters feel nostalgic.
Once you’ve successfully added wheat and barley products back into your diet this soup will be a nice addition to any meal plan. Barley does contain gluten but is also acceptable for those with a wheat allergy, not a gluten intolerance. It’s also beneficial that every other ingredient is still from phase one so there are no other variables to worry about. If you’re comfortable adding more wheat this soup pairs great with whole wheat bread or crackers. As always, mind the ingredients for any hidden soy or corn.
I love playing with soups. They’re so versatile. This one comes together quickly with pre-cooked chicken and quick barley if that’s what you choose to use. It only takes 10 minutes to cook! Likewise the veggies should only take about 10 minutes to saute and shouldn’t require any extra cooking time past that. Many soups can take 4 or more hours to really get right. So this is a hearty chicken barley soup that you can easily make in under an hour total. Suitable for any quick dinner.
It freezes well and can be stored for future use as well. Sometimes I just throw togther a soup like this to put straight into the freezer. It’s always a good idea to have backups on days when you didn’t have time to meal prep.
What is quick barley?
Simple, quick barley is just pearl barley that was steamed before packaging. This makes it much quicker to cook at home. It’s the same concept as instant rice. It allows the consumer to save a ton of time in the kitchen. Also, it happens to be the only kind of barley my local grocery store carries anymore so it’s what I use by default.
Quick barley and instant rice aren’t any less “natural” than the slow cooking alternatives. They’ve just had most of the work done already. This does make them a bit more expensive but if you are short on time it’s worth it.
Ingredients
- 2 large cooked chicken breasts chopped into ½ inch dice
- 8 oz asparagus (half a bundle) chopped in 1 inch sections
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup uncooked barley
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- heat pot over medium low and drizzle with olive oil
- saute onions, carrots, and celery until the onions sweat, about 10 minutes
- add the asparagus and zucchini
- add all seasonings and garlic, saute for about 2 minutes
- add broth and bring to a boil
- add the uncooked barley, lower temp to a simmer and cook the appropriate amount of time, if quick barley about ten minutes, if pearled barley about an hour
- add cooked chicken, remove bay leaf, and serve hot
Hearty Chicken and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large cooked chicken breasts chopped into ½ inch dice
- 8 oz asparagus half a bundle chopped in 1 inch sections
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 medium zucchini chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup uncooked barley
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- heat pot over medium low and drizzle with olive oil
- saute onions, carrots, and celery until the onions sweat, about 10 minutes
- add the asparagus and zucchini
- add all seasonings and garlic, saute for about 2 minutes
- add broth and bring to a boil
- add the uncooked barley, lower temp to a simmer and cook the appropriate amount of time, if quick barley about ten minutes, if pearled barley about an hour
- add cooked chicken, remove bay leaf, and serve hot