Crockpot Chicken Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (680 g)
• 3/4 cup rinsed pearled barley (150 g)
• 3 medium carrots, diced (240 g)
• 3 celery ribs, diced (150 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (180 g)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (15 g)
• 8 cups chicken stock (1920 g)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (1 g)
• 1 bay leaf (0.2 g)
• 1 teaspoon fine salt (6 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1 g)
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (120 g)
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (30 g)

Instructions

1. Load. Add barley, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and stock to a 6-quart crockpot. Stir once, then nestle whole chicken thighs below the liquid.
2. Cook. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours without stirring. Check that barley is plump, carrots are tender, and chicken separates easily.
3. Shred. Transfer chicken to a board and discard the bay leaf. Pull meat into broad shreds with two forks, then return it to the crockpot and distribute it evenly.
4. Adjust. Add warm stock if the barley has made the soup thicker than desired. Stir in small additions until the broth is loose but still carries grains in every spoonful.
5. Finish. Switch off the appliance. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Taste, adjust salt only if needed, and ladle the soup evenly into six bowls. Check a barley grain by pressing it against the insert wall with a spoon. Continue only if its center remains hard. Once tender with a slight chew, return broad chicken pieces and finish with lemon and parsley after switching off the cooker.

Notes

• Use pearled barley; hulled barley needs a different schedule.
• The cook time includes the full six-hour low setting.
• Refrigerate for 4 days or freeze portions for 2 months. Keep ingredient sizes consistent for the most even finish. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a shallow covered container.

Nutrition Facts