Instant Pot Chicken and Barley Soup
A rich, healthy, and satisfying soup!
Servings: 6
Calories: 355kcal
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken thighs bone-in
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 carrots chopped
- 1-2 medium potatoes diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup pearled barley
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil olive or canola
Instructions
- Heat the cooking oil in the Instant Pot on the Sauté setting. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add in the barley and stir to coat it slightly.1 yellow onion, 2 stalks celery, 4 carrots, 2 cloves garlic, ½ cup pearled barley, 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- Add in the potatoes and chicken. Sprinkle the spices over the chicken, then add the broth.1½ pounds chicken thighs, 1-2 medium potatoes, 32 ounces chicken broth, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 bay leaf, 2 peppercorns, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Set the cycle to cook for 8 minutes on high pressure. (Expect about 15 minutes for the pressure to build before the cycle begins.)
- When the cycle is done, wait at least 10 minutes for the pressure to naturally release, then manual release the remaining pressure. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot. Check a little of the barley by tasting for doneness. It will have a little “chew” to it, but if you think it should cook a little more just turn the Instant Pot to sauté. This will cook the barley a little more while you cut up the chicken.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones. Shred or cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and heat through using the sauté setting.
Notes
If your pieces of chicken are very large, you can check for doneness with a meat thermometer. Or, you may notice the chicken seems a little under done while cutting it up. If so, return the chicken to the pot and use the sauté setting to bring your soup to a boil. Boil about 10 minutes to ensure the chicken and/or barley is completely cooked through.
Nutrition
Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 864mg | Potassium: 594mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6893IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.