Chicken breasts, pearl barley, carrots, celery, and onion go into the slow cooker with low sodium chicken broth. The barley and chicken cook together on low for 5 to 7 hours before the chicken is pulled out, shredded, and stirred back in. Prep takes 5 to 10 minutes and the recipe serves 4.

Carrots, celery, and onion can go in raw, but 5 minutes in hot oil first makes a visible difference in the finished soup. Browning the vegetables draws out a sweetness that the broth alone cannot provide over hours of low heat. Skipping the sauté step is the fastest way to flatten the flavor.

The chicken goes in raw, whole, and comes out again before serving. Whole breasts poach gently in the broth throughout the long cook, stay moist, and pull apart cleanly at the end. Cutting the chicken before it cooks produces dry, grainy pieces by the time the barley is done.

Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Soup

Recipe by Shili MohamedCourse: SoupsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

6

hours 

Calories

352

kcal

Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Soup: chicken breasts, pearl barley, carrots, celery, onion, and low sodium chicken broth. Cook on low 5 to 7 hours. Serves 4

Ingredients

• Soup

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped

• ½ medium onion, finely chopped

• 5 cups low sodium chicken broth

• 2 chicken breasts (about 300g / 10 oz total), raw and whole

• ⅔ cup pearl or pot barley, rinsed

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent, stirring often. Transfer to the slow cooker. (Skip this step if preferred — the soup will still work, with slightly less developed flavor.)
• Add the chicken broth, raw whole chicken breasts, rinsed barley, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
• Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours until the barley is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and shred with two forks.
• Return the shredded chicken to the soup. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve.

FAQs

Can chicken thighs replace chicken breasts in this recipe?

Bone-in or boneless chicken thighs work as a direct substitute and produce a richer, slightly more flavorful broth over the long cook. Thighs also hold up better to extended heat than breasts, making them more forgiving if the cook runs a little long. Remove, shred, and return them to the soup at the same stage as the recipe calls for.

Why does this recipe specifically call for low sodium chicken broth?

Low sodium broth gives control over the final salt level before the soup is seasoned at the end. Barley absorbs a large volume of liquid during the long cook, and with it absorbs sodium using regular broth can result in a finished soup that’s saltier than intended. Start with low sodium and adjust with the salt and pepper at serving.

What stops the barley from making the soup too thick overnight?

Barley continues absorbing liquid after cooking, so leftovers refrigerated overnight come out considerably thicker than the freshly made soup. Reheat with an extra half cup to one full cup of chicken broth and stir over low heat until the consistency loosens. Make that adjustment at reheating rather than adding extra liquid to the slow cooker upfront.

What other slow cooker chicken soup uses a grain instead of noodles?

Wild rice provides a similar slow-cook-friendly texture to barley and produces a different flavor profile in the finished broth. A slow cooker chicken wild rice soup on this site builds a hearty bowl with chicken, wild rice, and vegetables over several hours on low. The two recipes give the same grain-forward, noodle-free format a different flavor direction each time.

What slow cooker chicken soup works for someone who wants a richer, creamier result?

A cream-based chicken soup produces a completely different texture from the clear broth in this barley version. A slow cooker chicken pot pie soup on this site builds a thick, creamy bowl with chicken and vegetables in a white sauce. Together they cover both ends of the chicken soup range from light and brothy to rich and creamy.