Soothing Turmeric Chicken With Pearl Barley (Printer View)

Golden chicken soup with pearl barley and warming turmeric. A comforting, nourishing bowl ready in 70 minutes.

# What you'll need:

→ Protein

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), diced

→ Grains

02 - 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
06 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 small zucchini, diced

→ Broth and Seasonings

08 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
09 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
11 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Garnishes

15 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
16 - Lemon wedges, for serving

# Method:

01 - In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the diced chicken and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until just starting to turn opaque.
04 - Pour in the chicken broth, add the pearl barley, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
05 - Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
06 - Add the diced zucchini, cover, and simmer for another 10–15 minutes, or until barley is tender and chicken is fully cooked.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort without requiring you to labor for hours in the kitchen.
  • The turmeric gives you something genuinely good for your body while making the whole pot smell incredible.
  • One pot means fewer dishes, which honestly feels like a gift on tired evenings.
02 -
  • Pearl barley absorbs a lot of liquid as it cooks, so if your soup seems too thick by the end, you can add more broth or even warm water to get it back to that perfect soupy consistency.
  • Turmeric can stain your hands, cutting boards, and even light-colored pots, so using non-porous surfaces and rinsing immediately makes cleanup infinitely easier.
  • Don't skip rinsing the barley, because it removes excess starch and prevents the whole pot from becoming gluey and starchy instead of brothy.
03 -
  • If your store-bought broth is particularly salty, use low-sodium and taste before adding the full teaspoon of sea salt, because you can always add more but you can't take it back.
  • Cook the soup on the gentlest simmer possible rather than a rolling boil, because it develops flavor more subtly and the chicken stays tender instead of becoming stringy.
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