Weeknight Chicken Barley Soup

Chicken barley soup in a light blue bowl

4.50 from 6 votes

This comforting Chicken Barley Soup is easy to make even on the busiest weeknights, thanks to supermarket rotisserie chicken.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: barley, chicken, comfort food, dinner, soup, whole grain

Servings:

Calories: 312kcal

Author: Carissa Serink

Equipment

Large Dutch oven or saucepan

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery sliced
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more if needed
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup barley (see note)
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Remove all the meat from the rotisserie chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Discard bones and skin, or save them for another use. Measure out 1 pound of the chicken to use in the soup (it will be about half of a large rotisserie chicken). Pack the remaining chicken in an airtight container or bag to refrigerate or freeze for another use.
Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped carrots, celery, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and just starting to brown. Stir in 1 clove garlic (minced), 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Slowly pour in 6 cups chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil. Add 2/3 cup barley and 1 bay leaf then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15-30 minutes until the barley is soft (see note)
Stir in the 1 pound of rotisserie chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Add additional salt and/or pepper to taste if needed.

Notes

The cooking time will depend on the type of barley you used - use the cooking guidelines on the barley package to help you determine how long it needs to cook. Choose barley that cooks more quickly for a weeknight friendly, faster cooking soup.

Nutrition