Vegetable Barley Chicken Soup

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Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 45 mins - 1 hr 15 mins | Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1 c red bell pepper, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 c mushrooms, bite-size pieces

• 2 c chicken broth

• 6 c water

• 1 c cooked chicken, shredded

• ½ c hulled or pearled barley

• 2 c mixed greens, such as spinach, beet greens or Swiss chard, chopped

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp pepper

• ½ tsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp of fresh thyme

Directions

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a large pot. Sauté onion, pepper, garlic and mushrooms until soft; about 5 minutes.

2. Add chicken broth and water to onion mixture; bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Stir in chicken and barley.

3. Simmer until barley is tender; about 30 minutes for pearled barley, 60 minutes for hulled.

4. Stir in mixed greens and seasonings in final 10 minutes of cooking.

Notes

• Adjust this recipe to match your taste! In Jamie’s version, she browns chicken thighs, uses homemade chicken stock rather than the water and canned broth, ¾ c of barley, and doubles the greens to include about 4 cups of spinach. 

• Substitute any whole grain such as brown rice, wild rice, farro, or quinoa in place of the barley. Simply follow package directions for cooking time, you can also find helpful cooking instructions for a variety of grains in the Providence Heart Guide (2025, pg. 16). Or try cubed sweet potatoes in place of the grain.  

• While the sofrito (onion, bell pepper, garlic) gives this soup a great flavor base, feel free to try it with the classic mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot) instead. Or add other veggies to such as frozen corn or peas, no salt added canned tomatoes, fresh broccoli, cauliflower, or zucchini. 

Nutrition: (per serving) Calories: 166 kcals | Total Fat: 5 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 291 mg | Carb: 21 g | Protein: 12 g | Fiber: 5 g.

Providence Heart Guide 2020
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