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Hearty, savory, and loaded with texture, this Chicken and Barley Soup with Mushrooms is everything you’ll want in a cold-weather dinner. Tender shredded chicken, chewy pearl barley, carrots, celery, and deeply browned cremini mushrooms simmer in a flavorful broth with garlic and fresh thyme, while a squeeze of lemon at the end keeps all those earthy flavors tasting bright instead of heavy. I brown the mushrooms separately and add them back at the end so they stay meaty and flavorful rather than getting lost in the broth. It’s cozy, filling, and exactly the kind of one-pot dinner that tastes even better the next day.
A Better Chicken and Barley Soup Comes Down to Timing
What makes this soup work so well is that everything gets the amount of cooking time it actually needs. The mushrooms are browned first until deeply golden, then removed so they keep their texture instead of simmering away in the broth. The chicken cooks just until tender, while the pearl barley stays in the pot longer to soften.
I found this method gives the soup much better texture than adding everything to the pot at once. The chicken stays juicy, the mushrooms keep their flavor, and the barley gives the soup enough body to make it feel like a full meal.
One thing to keep in mind is that barley keeps absorbing liquid after cooking. The soup will thicken as it sits and even more once refrigerated, so I usually keep some extra broth on hand for leftovers and add another squeeze of lemon after reheating if it needs brightening up.
A Few Ingredients That Make a Difference
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
- Pearl barley: I like pearl barley here because it stays pleasantly chewy while giving the broth more body as it cooks. Cooking time can vary quite a bit by brand, so check your package and use the texture of the barley, not just the clock, as your guide.
- Cremini mushrooms: These add a deeper, more savory flavor than white mushrooms and hold their texture well in the soup. Let them get truly golden before removing them from the pot. The browning makes a noticeable difference in the finished soup.
- Fresh lemon juice: The lemon shouldn’t make the soup taste lemony. It brightens the broth at the end and balances the earthy mushrooms and barley.
How to Get the Mushrooms, Chicken, and Barley Just Right
- Brown the mushrooms first: Give the mushrooms enough time to really brown. They’ll release quite a bit of liquid at first, so keep cooking until the moisture evaporates and the edges turn golden. That’s your cue that they’ve actually started browning rather than steaming.
- Build the base: Soften the onion, carrots, and celery, then add the garlic and thyme just long enough to become fragrant. Add the barley, broth, and whole chicken breasts once the vegetables have started to soften.
- Let the chicken finish before the barley: The chicken will cook through before the barley, and that’s intentional. Remove it as soon as it’s done, then let the barley keep simmering until it’s tender but still pleasantly chewy. This keeps the chicken from drying out while giving the barley the time it needs.
- Bring everything back together: Return the shredded chicken and browned mushrooms to the pot once the barley is ready. Add a splash of broth if the soup has thickened more than you like.
- Finish with lemon: Stir in the parsley and lemon juice just before serving. Taste and adjust as needed. The lemon should brighten the broth without making the soup taste noticeably lemon.
Leftovers, Reheating & Easy Shortcuts
This soup gets thicker as it sits because the barley continues absorbing broth. I actually like it just as much the next day, but I usually add a splash of chicken broth or water when reheating to bring it back to the consistency I want.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For freezing, leave a little extra room in the container for expansion and plan on adding more broth after thawing and reheating. I love freezing individual portions in Souper Cubes.
You can also make this with leftover or rotisserie chicken. Skip simmering the raw chicken in the broth and stir about 4 cups of cooked chicken into the soup with the browned mushrooms once the barley is tender.
More Easy Soup Recipes
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Hearty Chicken and Barley Soup with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ⅔ cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their liquid has evaporated and they are browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the barley, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the pot. Pour in the broth and nestle in the chicken breasts.
- Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover partially and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts (it should reach 165°F).
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Continue simmering the soup, partially covered, until the barley is tender, about 20-25 minutes more. Cooking times may vary depending on the barley.
- Meanwhile, shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- When the barley has cooked through, return the shredded chicken and browned mushrooms back to the pot. Add additional broth if the soup is thicker than you’d prefer. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes to heat everything through.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the chopped parsley and lemon juice. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper, or lemon juice, as needed.
Notes
- Pearl barley: Cooking time can vary by brand, so check the package directions and simmer until the barley is tender but still pleasantly chewy. The barley I used took about 40 minutes.
- Mushrooms: Let them cook until their liquid evaporates and they’re deeply golden before removing them from the pot. That browning adds a lot of flavor to the finished soup.
- Using cooked chicken: Leftover or rotisserie chicken works well here. Stir in about 4 cups with the browned mushrooms once the barley is tender, the simmer just until heated through.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The barley will continue absorbing broth as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water when reheating if needed.
- Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently and add more broth as needed to loosen the soup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
