Soupe Jo is a rich chicken barley soup packed with veggies. Think of it as the Persian version of classic chicken noodle soup. It’s a hearty and comforting soup recipe perfect for welcoming fall’s first chilly days and kicking away the winter blues.
A Hug in a Bowl
Chicken soup for many brings to mind mom’s special recipe or a comforting dish from our homeland. Whether it’s Greek Avgolemono (lemon chicken soup) or Turkish Kırmızı Mercimek Çorbası (red lentil soup) or Italian Pastina, there’s a certain comfort that comes from a warm bowl of homemade soup. It’s medicine in food form, nurturing us as children, and one we later cook for our own families.
For us Persians, Soupe Jo is our medicinal chicken soup—the Persian penicillin. We also have a turnip soup which is a go-to for poor health but it doesn’t come close to this recipe for me. This chicken barley soup has a velvety, silky creaminess from the barley and familiar flavors of carrots and celery. Everything marries perfectly with the chicken and other aromatics for a very nutritious and balanced dish.
The traditional recipe is thickened using a bechamel sauce and heavy cream. In this lighter version, I partially blend the soup for the same effect. I also add a touch of half and half or Greek yogurt, which enriches the soup despite its lower fat content.
Table of Contents
Chicken Barley Soup Ingredients
This traditional Persian chicken barley soup recipe features all easy-to-find ingredients. Your local supermarket should have them all if you don’t already have them in your fridge, freezer or pantry!
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Onion or leek: This fresh aromatic flavors the soup and brings a warming quality thought to relieve cold symptoms.
- Garlic: Minced for the strongest flavor (see our tips on how to mince garlic), or crushed for a milder taste.
- Celery: Gives the soup a rich, earthy and peppery flavor profile.
- Carrot: Adds sweetness and pops of orange color.
- Pearl barley: Barley that has been processed to remove its outer hull. It is the most common form of barley because it cooks faster and is less chewy than other grains. You can find pearl barley in the grain aisle, or online at our shop.
- Bay leaves: Add an incredible depth of flavor to the soup.
- Chicken broth: Use a good quality chicken stock or a homemade version. Remember to adjust seasoning based on whether you are using a low-sodium or standard variety.
- Chicken: Skinless, boneless chicken breasts add lean yet comforting protein.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice lifts the richness.
- Half and half, yogurt, or milk: I use “single cream” to add richness, which translates in the US to half and half. You can substitute with Greek yogurt or whole milk if you’d like.
- Fresh cilantro: Complements the other flavors with its lemony and peppery profile. You can use parsley in its place.
- Salt and pepper: Season the soup.
How to Make Soupe Jo
To make this barley chicken soup, you only need a large pot with a lid. Here’s our step-by-step guide:
Cook the Barley
- Soak the barley (optional). Rinse 1 cup of barley. If you’d like it to be extra fluffy, soak it in cold water for one hour.
- Cook the onion. Place a large pot on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, followed by 1 finely diced onion. Cook until the onion turns golden, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and vegetables. Stir in 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 finely diced celery stalks, and 1/2 of a large grated carrot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Add the pearled barley. Drain the pearled barley and add to the pan. Stir until the barley is fully incorporated.
- Simmer. Add 2 bay leaves and 7 1/2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to allow the soup to simmer.
Cook the Chicken
- Cook the chicken. Add 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and place a lid on the pan. Poach until the juices run clear in the thickest part of the breast, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the soup and set aside to cool.
- Add fresh lemon juice. Squeeze in the juice from one lemon. Stir and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Leave to simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the pearl barley is tender. Check and stir the soup occasionally.
- Shred the chicken. Use two forks to shred the chicken and set aside.
- Partially blend of the soup. Take an immersion blender place it into one side of the pot. Blend just a little of the soup to thicken. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle a few cups of the soup into a standard blender, blend, and then mix it back into the soup.
Finish and Serve
- Finish the soup. Stir in 3 tablespoons of half and half, the shredded chicken breast, remaining 1/2 of a grated carrot, and 1 small bunch of minced cilantro (save a little cilantro for garnish). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice. Simmer the soup for a few minutes to ensure the shredded chicken is warmed through.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil and a little more half and half (or a dollop of yogurt). Finish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and serve warm.
How to Make this Soup Recipe Vegetarian
Make this soup fully vegetarian by substituting sliced mushrooms for the chicken and replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock. If you are using mushrooms instead of chicken, saute them in a little olive oil before adding them to the soup to release their nutty flavor.
The half-and-half can be left out or substituted with a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt or milk.
How to Store Chicken Barley Soup
Allow leftovers to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in your freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, allow frozen soup to thaw in your refrigerator overnight. Microwave the thawed soup, or place in a saucepan over low heat and stir until it’s piping hot.
What to Serve with Chicken Barley Soup
The barley makes this chicken soup very hearty and filling, so serving it on its own is absolutely fine. However, some freshly baked crusty bread such as a baguette, barbari, or focaccia drizzled in olive oil are a lovely accompaniment. If you’re attempting to kick a cold, try plenty of lemon ginger tea throughout the day in addition to this warming chicken barley soup.
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Soupe Jo (Persian Chicken and Barley Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearled barley, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 white or yellow onion or medium leek, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons half and half, Greek yogurt, or whole milk
- Small bunch of fresh cilantro or parsley, leaves and tender stems finely chopped
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Soak the barley (optional). If you’d like extra fluffy barley, soak it in cold water for one hour.
- Cook the onion. Place a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, followed by the onion and cook until it turns golden, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and vegetables. Stir in the garlic, celery, and 1/2 of the grated carrot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Add the pearled barley. Drain the pearled barley and add to the pan. Stir until the barley is fully incorporated.
- Simmer. Add the bay leaves and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to allow the soup to simmer.
- Cook the chicken. Add the whole chicken breasts and place a lid on the pan. Poach until the juices run clear in the thickest part of the breast, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the soup and set aside to cool.
- Add fresh lemon juice. Add the juice from one lemon into the soup. Stir and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Leave to simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the pearl barley is tender. Check and stir the soup occasionally.
- Shred the chicken. Use two forks to shred the chicken and set aside.
- Partially blend of the soup. Take an immersion blender place it into one side of the pot. Blend just a little of the soup to thicken. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle a few cups of the soup into a standard blender, blend, and then mix it back into the soup.
- Finish the soup. Stir in the half and half, shredded chicken breast, remaining grated carrot, and cilantro (save a little cilantro for garnish). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice. Simmer the soup for a few minutes to ensure the shredded chicken is warmed through.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil and a little more half and half (or a dollop of yogurt). Finish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and serve warm.
Notes
- To store leftovers: Allow the soup to cool completely. Seal and store in your refrigerator for up to 3 days and your freezer for up to 3 months.
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This soup was packed with flavor!! The lemon juice really adds to this flavor. I added escarole to get some more veggies in for the kids. The kids were silent during dinner they loved this soup so much:)
This soup was DELICIOUS! I forgot to soak the barley for an hour, but I soaked it for 25 min and it still came out fluffy :), can’t wait to make it again, like tonight LOL!
Awesome! Thanks, Cindy!
I love this soup! So healthy, warm and filling for my cold Idaho winters plus it freezes well in single servings for just me. Thanks for all the recipes and your excellent shop for great food products.
Could this be done “vegetarian” without the chicken?
Hi, Mary Ann. Absolutely, although, you’d want to change the chicken broth to veggie broth to make it truly vegetarian. This may change the flavor profile a little bit, but it should still be delish!
The soup is delicious!! I added potatoes. The lemon juice really added to the recipe. Thank you!
I suggestr that you advise readers to remove the Bay leaves before using the immersion blender. Bay leaves are tough and have sharp edges which can scratch the thraot.
Thanks so much for that heads up, Robin. We’ll take another look at the recipe.
This soup recipe is perfection. The lemon juice and yogurt give the soup a delectable tartness that separates it from hohum chicken barley soup. Keeper recipe!
So glad you loved this one, Cheryl!
I plan to make this today.
I have whole milk, but do you think sour cream would work?
Hi, Danielle. We’ve never tried that before, but I don’t see why not :). Enjoy!
I added some plain yogurt after I dished the bowls since my husband says he is lactose intolerant, even though he eats vanilla ice cream, LOL!
This was a perfect dish for a cool rainy fall dinner! The people I live with do not eat celery so I subbed with some savoy cabbage; otherwise made exactly per recipe. It was much-loved and added to our list of things to make again.
Thanks for sharing that substitution, Margaret! Great idea!
Absolutely delicious! So easy to make and so satisfying on a cool rainy day.
Thanks, Sharon! We agree!
Another delicious recipe from Suzy! She never disappoints. Followed the recipe as written. I used non-fat Greek yogurt on top. ❤️
So glad you loved this one, Sheryl! It’s a favorite around here too!
This soup is AMAZING!!! My family loved it, so much so, I made it twice in one week. I also took some to work and shared with co-workers, they loved as well! It is so tasty, comforting, and easy to make. I will definitely be making this regularly. Thank you for all the great recipes!!
I love hearing this, Maricela! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know! We have loads of chicken soup recipes on the site. I hope you keep exploring. You might also like this Chicken Gnocchi Soup or this recipe Greek Chicken Soup called Avgolemono. Happy Soup Season!
I only have a box of quick barley, can I use it in this recipe?
Thank you
Diana
Hi, Diane. That should work! Enjoye!
Would quick pearled barley work with this and would preparation differ if one used it?
Hi, Janna. I’m sure quick pearled barley could work here. It’s just not something we’ve tested, so it’s hard to advise on the difference in preparation. If you give it a try, please stop back and let us know how it went!
Do you think this could be made gluten free with white rice instead of barley? My daughter has Celiac disease. If so, would you recommend the same amount (I.e. 1 cup) of rice? More? Less? And any changes to the cooking instructions? Thanks!
100% you can make this with rice!!! Maybe brown for more of the “nuttiness” that barley brings, but it’d be delicious either way! Note: I wouldn’t freeze it – the rice will disintegrate!
Can we use almond milk or other non-dairy milk?
Absolutely!