Chicken and Barley Soup
Most chicken barley soups are a little too light on the barley for my taste. Why skip out on the barley? Barley is cheap, satisfying and full of nutrition! Using a good portion of barley is the secret to transforming your ordinary chicken and barley soup into a silky and luscious borderline stew without the need for extra thickeners. Rich skinless chicken thighs add a deeper flavor to this soup which couldn’t be simpler to prepare.
My mother in-law loves this soup so much, I now call it “Mother in-law Soup” and make her a big pot for her birthday each year. Not just for mother in-laws, this soup will keep all the members of your family coming back for more.
P.S. If you don’t like your mother in-law, never make her this soup or you’ll never get rid of her! 🤣
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425° F. Line sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
Space out chicken thighs evenly on sheet pan. Mix together salt, pepper and dried thyme in small bowl. Sprinkle chicken thighs on both sides with seasoning mix.
Bake chicken on the lowest rack of a preheated oven for 45 minutes (flipping halfway through) or until chicken reaches 180° F and a deep brown fond has developed on the sheet tray. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet pan for 20 minutes before transferring thighs to a plate, covering and refrigerating until ready to use. Do not discard the parchment paper!
Using a thin silicone spatula carefully scrape the fond and chicken fat from the parchment paper and transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Rinse the barley and add to a 6 quart stock pot or dutch oven. Cover with 16 cups low sodium broth or stock, add 3 bay leaves and cover. Bring to a boil. Uncover and reduce to a simmer. Recover pot, leaving the lid ajar and simmer for 50 minutes or until the barley is completely soft and starts to curl into a “C” shape.
Once barley is cooked, add reserved chicken fond and fat, celery, onions, carrots and rosemary and simmer for 15 minutes until carrots are tender.
While vegetables simmer, dice cooled chicken thighs and add to pot. Simmer 10 minutes more to warm chicken.
Season to taste and enjoy!
(Makes about 16 cups)
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup (220 grams) Pearled Barley
2-2 ½ lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
3 Bay Leaves
3 Medium Carrots (200 grams) diced
3 Ribs of Celery (100 grams) diced
½ Large Yellow Onion (100 grams) Diced
1 Tbsp Minced Fresh Rosemary
16 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth or Stock
1 ½ tsp Dried Thyme
¾ tsp ground pepper
1 tsp Table Salt
Most chicken barley soups are a little too light on the barley for my taste. Why skip out on the barley? Barley is cheap, satisfying and full of nutrition! Using a good portion of barley is the secret to transforming your ordinary chicken and barley soup into a silky and luscious borderline stew without the need for extra thickeners. Rich skinless chicken thighs add a deeper flavor to this soup which couldn’t be simpler to prepare.
My mother in-law loves this soup so much, I now call it “Mother in-law Soup” and make her a big pot for her birthday each year. Not just for mother in-laws, this soup will keep all the members of your family coming back for more.
P.S. If you don’t like your mother in-law, never make her this soup or you’ll never get rid of her! 🤣
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