Martha Stewart Chicken Barley Soup Recipe

This is the soup I make when I feel a cold coming on and need something that will actually fill me up, not just warm me up. Martha Stewart’s Chicken Barley Soup is loaded with diced carrots, celery, onion, chicken breast, quick-cooking barley, baby spinach, and thyme, all simmered in chicken broth for 45 minutes in one pot.

Most chicken soup recipes leave me hungry an hour later. This one does not because the barley turns it into a real meal. I have been making this Martha Stewart chicken soup every fall since I found it and it is the one my family actually asks for by name.

Try More Soup Recipes:

• Chicken Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Beef And Barley Soup

Why You Will Love This Chicken Barley Soup:

• Barley makes it hearty: Regular chicken soup is mostly liquid. This one has a thick, almost stew-like body because the barley absorbs broth as it cooks and plumps up. I was surprised the first time at how filling a bowl of this was compared to noodle soup.
• The spinach goes in at the end: You drop 5 cups of baby spinach into the pot and it wilts in about a minute. It adds colour and something fresh to balance all the warm, earthy flavours. I would not skip it even though it seems like an afterthought.
• One pot, 45 minutes: Everything goes into a Dutch oven. There is no straining, no separate broth making, no shredding chicken off bones. You dice, you simmer, you eat. That is the whole recipe.

Chicken Barley Soup Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 carrots, diced small
• 4 celery stalks, diced small
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 1 cup quick-cooking barley
• 5 ounces baby spinach (5 cups)

How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken Barley Soup

1. Cook the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until they are just tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the chicken: Put in the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook while stirring until the chicken is opaque around the edges, about 2 minutes. You are not cooking it all the way through here, just starting it.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil: Pour in the chicken broth and add the thyme sprigs. Bring everything to a boil.
4. Simmer with the barley: Stir in the quick-cooking barley. Cover the pot, turn the heat down, and let it simmer until the barley is tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Finish with spinach: Drop in the baby spinach and cook just until it wilts, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Recipe Tips

• Dice everything small: Martha says small dice and she means it. The carrots, celery, and onion should be about the same size as the barley when it is cooked so every spoonful has a bit of everything. I went too big once and the soup felt chunky instead of balanced.
• Use quick-cooking barley: This is not the same as regular pearl barley. Quick-cooking barley has already been hulled and steamed, so it only needs 10 minutes to get soft. If you use regular barley, you will need to simmer it for 30 to 40 minutes longer and add extra broth.
• Do not overcook the spinach: One minute is all it needs. If you let it go longer it turns army green and gets slimy. Drop it in, stir, and take the pot off the heat.

If You Like Beef Barley Soup

Try Martha’s beef and barley soup if you want something heavier. The beef version takes longer and the broth is darker and richer. I rotate between the two depending on whether I want lighter or heartier.

This chicken version is the one I make more often because it comes together faster and I usually have chicken breast in the fridge already. The beef one is for weekends when I have time to let it go longer.

What Goes Well With This Chicken Barley Soup

Soup needs bread and I do not overthink it. Warm yeast rolls are what I make most often because you can tear them apart and dunk them straight into the bowl. A thick slice of cornbread works just as well.

If I want a salad on the side I keep it simple with greens and one of Martha’s salad dressings. Nothing fancy. The soup is the main event and everything else is just there to round out the table.

How To Store Leftovers

Fair warning: the barley keeps absorbing broth overnight. By the next day this looks more like a thick stew than a soup. That is not a bad thing, it is just different. Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I would not freeze it because the barley turns mushy when you thaw it.

When I reheat it I add a splash of chicken broth to loosen it back up. The stove is better than the microwave for this because you can stir it as it warms and get the consistency right. I actually like the leftover version better sometimes because it feels more like a stew.

FAQs

• Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts? Yes. Cut them into the same 1/2-inch pieces and cook them the same way. Thighs have more fat so the broth will be a little richer. I have done it both ways and both work.
• Can I use regular pearl barley? You can but it takes much longer to cook, about 30 to 40 minutes of simmering instead of 10. Add an extra cup of broth too because regular barley absorbs more liquid. Martha calls for quick-cooking barley specifically so the soup is done in 45 minutes.
• Can I leave out the spinach? You can, but I would not. It adds colour and nutrients and takes one minute. If you do not like spinach, try kale instead. Just add it a few minutes earlier because kale is tougher and needs more time to wilt.
• Why is my soup too thick the next day? That is the barley. It absorbs liquid as it sits. Just stir in some extra broth when you reheat and it goes right back to soup consistency. This happens every time and it is totally normal.

More Soup Recipes:

• Chicken Soup With Rice
• Lentil Soup
• Minestrone Soup

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 390
• Total Fat: 8g
• Saturated Fat: 1.5g
• Cholesterol: 75mg
• Sodium: 720mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 45g
• Protein: 35g