Slow Cooker Chicken And Barley Soup

📝Shopping list

To make this hearty chicken barley soup you will need these simple ingredients:

• chicken breasts - chicken thighs can be used as well
• carrot - diced
• celery stalk - diced
• small onion - diced
• mushrooms - sliced
• pearl barley - be sure NOT to use quick cooking barley
• lemon - juice only
• poultry seasoning
• garlic powder
• salt optional - can hold to end and add to taste if you prefer
• black pepper
• chicken broth or stock
• fresh dill - whole stalk with leaves

🔪Instructions

This great recipe just involves a few simple steps:

Preparing Your Slow Cooker

Even when making soup, it is helpful to prepare your slow cooker by coating it with a non-stick agent.  Any nonstick cooking spray or oil will work. Olive oil and avocado oil are my go-to coatings. 

 NOTE: some slow cooker inserts come with a nonstick surface.  Use of a non-stick agent is still suggested. However, oil is sometimes recommended rather than spray to protect the longevity of the non-stick surface.  Check the manual for your slow cooker if you have any concerns. 

Alternatively, you can choose to use a slow cooker liner.  

Cooking

• 🍗Add chicken breast to slow cooker
• 🍗Add vegetables, spices, and barley on top of chicken
• 🍗Pour broth over other ingredients, cover, and cook on low heat  for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours
• 🍗When chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it into bite-sized pieces.  Return shredded chicken to the crock pot and stir to combine.
• 🍗Add additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste just before serving and enjoy!

🍽Serving suggestions

This hearty chicken and barley soup is a full meal on its own. Just serve it with some warm, crusty bread.

A crisp garden salad makes this hearty soup an even more perfect meal. Warm side dishes such as whole cauliflower dijon, sweet corn spoon bread, or polenta are also great options.

This recipe is written as "salt and pepper to taste" to keep it lower in sodium. However, to bring out the best flavor, you will definitely want to add some of each.  

🔁Substitution ideas

• Substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the breasts. Thighs are a more flavorful and forgiving cut of meat, especially for slow cooking. Bone-in chicken pieces are also a great alternative for making flavorful barley stew.
• Substitute carrots with other root vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, or sweet potatoes.
• Substitute lemon juice with another acidic ingredient like lime juice or white wine vinegar. This will change the flavor in delicious ways. 
• For a low-sodium soup, use sodium-free stock or broth.
• For a stronger dill flavor, add some chopped fresh dill along with the other herbs and spices
• For a stronger chicken flavor, add an extra teaspoon or two of chicken bouillon
• Substitute poultry season with Italian seasoning for an easy change of flavor in this hearty chicken and barley soup

Storing

• Soup leftovers store well in airtight containers or zipper-topped bags. They will stay fresh for about 3-4 days this way.
• One great way to store leftovers is in a mini food warmer! It makes for a super way to transport and reheat leftovers.
• This slow cooker soup can also be frozen. Airtight containers and/or zipper-topped bags both work well for freezing. Frozen soup lasts anywhere from 3-4 months and can be easily defrosted by stovetop, microwave, or even slow cooker.
• During the freezing and defrosting process, your soup may become thick. I love it like that, however, if you prefer it thinner, you can add some additional broth to it.

😉Hints & hacks

1. This soup calls for diced celery, carrots and onion. To keep things extra lazy, you can buy prepackaged cut veggies or mirepoix. Both fresh and frozen work equally well. Because I am always looking for shortcuts, I cut up celery, carrots, and onion in advance and freeze them. This way, they are always on hand for dishes like this one.
2. If you are looking for some other delicious soup recipes with barley mushroom barley and tomato beef barley are my favorites! 
3. This is a great meal prep recipe. You can assemble all ingredients other than barley the night before. Barley can be carefully added at the time you are ready to commence cooking.
4. This is a great dish if your people will be eating at different times. After the cooking time, turn your slow cooker to warm (or have it automatically switch to warm if your slow cooker has this feature). This way, everyone can have a hot and filling meal, no matter what time of the evening they are ready to eat. 
5. I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price.
6. In the market for a new slow cooker?  I Love mine!