As soon as the mercury begins to dip, I am keen to begin brainstorming new soup recipes – and whipping up some of my old favourites, as well (my chickpea & leek soup or butternut squash soup are great choices).
I love to keep a few different soups in the freezer to defrost at a moment’s notice for lunch on a cold day.
And one of the first that I’ve developed this year has been this hearty barley and mushroom soup with chicken.
Packed with deep umami flavours courtesy of both dried mushrooms and deeply browned fresh mushrooms, the barley adds a yummy chew and the chicken poaches in the liquid as the soup simmers, infusing it with even more flavour.
How to Make Mushroom Barley Soup with Chicken
This soup isn’t necessarily difficult, but it does take a bit of time so make sure that you account for that.
For the most robust flavour, I highly recommend not skipping out on browning the chicken and the mushrooms.
I like to begin with rehydrating the dried mushrooms, as you can let these soak as you’re getting everything else together.
Just add them to a heatproof bowl, cover them with boiling water, and cover the bowl. Let them hang out for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, brown your chicken. I call for chicken legs in the recipe, but you can use leg quarters if you’d like. Just make sure to use bone-in legs or thighs as they stand up to the cooking much better than breast – and certainly boneless, skinless breast.
Add some olive oil to a large stock pot or saucepan and set it over medium heat. Once shimmering, add your chicken legs and sear on one side until they are golden and release easily from the pan – this usually takes about 3-5 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side.
Remove the chicken legs from the pan and set them aside until later.
Now, it’s time to brown the mushrooms. This takes a bit of time, but it’s essential to developing the flavour of the soup. Add a bit more oil to the pan, increase the heat a bit, and add your mushrooms along with a bit of salt.
The mushrooms will first begin to release their moisture – allow that to evaporate and keep cooking until they’re super golden. This will take about ten minutes.
To your browned mushrooms, add some finely diced carrots, onion and celery along with a little bit more salt. Cook until the veggies are softened and beginning to take on colour – this will take about 5 minutes.
Then, add in some chopped fresh thyme and cook until fragrant.
If you haven’t already, drain the dried mushrooms from the liquid (be sure to reserve the liquid) and roughly chop them. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pot along with your pearl barley.
Add your chicken legs back into the pot and pour over the mushroom soaking liquid, some chicken stock and a bit of water.
Toss in a couple of bay leaves and bring everything up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the soup until the barley is cooked through and tender, and the chicken has also been cooked – this will take about 30-45 minutes.
Go ahead and remove the chicken legs from the pot and let them cool until you can handle them. Then, shred the chicken, discard the bones and stir it back into the soup. And you’re ready to eat!
Chicken, Mushroom & Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 15 g (¼ cup) dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil divided
- 4 chicken legs or 2 leg quarters
- 500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 10 g (2 tsp) salt divided (see note 1)
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 2 ribs celery finely diced
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme minced
- 250 g (1 ¼ cups) pearl barley
- 2 l (8 cups) chicken stock (see note 2)
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Bring 500ml (2 cups) of water to a boil. Add the dried mushrooms to a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Cover and allow the mushrooms to rehydrate for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Add half of the olive oil to a large saucepan or stock pot and set over medium heat. Pat the chicken legs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and sear on one side until golden and the chicken releases easily, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the sliced mushrooms and ¼ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have reduced significantly in size and are deeply golden, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery and onion along with another ¼ tsp of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to take on colour, about 5-7 minutes. Add the thyme and stir until fragrant, 30 more seconds.
- Drain the dried mushrooms from the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid. Roughly chop the mushrooms and add them to the pot. Stir in the barley.
- Add the chicken legs along with any accumulated juices. Pour over the mushroom soaking liquid, the chicken stock and 500ml (2 cups) of water. Add the bay leaves and the remaining 1½ tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the barley is tender and the chicken is completely cooked through – about 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the chicken legs from the pot and allow to sit until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken back into the soup. Fish out the bay leaves and serve.
Notes
- For best results, measure salt by weight, as different salts vary in crystal size and density.
- For best results, use unsalted stock so you can control the seasoning of the final dish.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Whether you’re looking for lunch or dinner, this hearty soup is sure to be a favourite during the colder months!
Are you looking for a great mushroom, chicken and barley soup? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
