grandma's chicken barley soup

(9 ratings)
Recipe by
Mikekey *
Seattle, WA

This is the way my Grandma made barley soup (she also made a version using beef stew meat). Serve with crusty bread. Great comfort food on a cold day.

(9 ratings)
yield 8 serving(s)
prep time 35 Min
cook time 2 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For grandma's chicken barley soup

  • 1 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 4 lg
    chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
  • 6 c
    chicken broth, divided
  • 2 stalk
    celery, chopped
  • 4 md
    carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1
    yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 8 oz
    mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 clove
    garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3/4 c
    pearl barley, uncooked
  • 1 can
    (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (do not drain)
  • 2 tsp
    worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp
    dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp
    dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp
    dried oregano
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp
    fresh italian parsley, minced

How To Make grandma's chicken barley soup

  • 1
    Heat oil over medium-high temperature in a large, heavy stockpot. Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and brown.
  • 2
    Add 2 cups of the broth to pan and turn heat down to medium-low. Cover pot with lid. Cook about 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Leaving broth in pan, remove chicken to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Cover chicken and refrigerate
  • 3
    Add remaining broth to pan. Stir in remaining ingredients (except salt, pepper and parsley). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover pan. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours, until barley and vegetables are done.
  • 4
    Meanwhile, remove chicken meat and skin from bones. Discard bones and coarsely chop meat and skin (if you do not want the skin, skip the browning process and discard skin after removing meat from bones). Add to pot for last 1/2 hour and cook until heated through. (If soup is too thick at this point, add some water) Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • 5
    Stir in parsley and ladle into bowls.

Categories & Tags for Grandma's Chicken Barley Soup:

ADVERTISEMENT