Barley is one of my favourite ingredients lately and it’s such a great companion for chicken in a soup. Dijon Chicken Thighs and Barley Soup makes excellent use of skinless, boneless chicken thighs making it quick and easy to put together. This hearty soup packs a punch of flavour coming from simple ingredients you likely have on hand like Dijon mustard, Cayenne pepper and lemon juice.
Chicken thighs are perfect here for a number of reasons. For one, they’re cheaper than chicken breasts or a whole chicken, not to mention softer and more flavourful. Because these thighs are boneless and skinless, the work is cut in half – they will simply fall apart when the cooking is done with very little coaxing and this delicious chicken meat will not dry out, but rather become more tender and juicy as it cooks.
When it comes to convenience, Dijon Chicken Thighs and Barley Soup is a superstar! This soup cooks for one hour, but during that time you don’t need to do much other than check on it and stir it once or twice, meaning you can relax or get busy doing something else. It really is a delightful recipe to have on hand when you don’t want to do much work. This bowl of food is satisfying, beautiful to look at, packed with flavour and and very filling.
The parsley is optional, however I do find that it not only adds a pop of colourful green, but also gives the soup a bit of freshness. If you don’t have any parsley to hand you could opt for some fresh thyme leaves or chopped coriander instead. Also, if you’re planning to make this for any children or shy away from chilli heat you can absolutely reduce the Cayenne pepper to 1/4 teaspoon or simply eliminate it altogether.
A crusty chunk of bread is perfect alongside this gorgeous soup and if you’re feeding 6, it will certainly help to make it stretch. Let’s get started!
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 175g pearl barley
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt & pepper
- 1 1/2 litres chicken stock
- 2 heaped tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional)
- Finely chopped freshly parsley to serve (optional)
Method
- In a large heavy-based pot that has a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the carrots and cook them stirring occasionally until they begin to soften. This should take about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Toss in the barley and give it a stir for about a minute or two before adding the chicken thighs. Season with salt and pepper.
- Quickly stir the mustard into the chicken stock and then pour this over everything. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, pop on the lid and leave this to cook gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If at any time the soup looks as though it’s getting too dry simply add some more chicken stock or water.
- After the hour is up, give the soup a stir, reduce the heat to low and gently start to break apart the tender chicken thighs if needed. Truth be told they might just fall apart from the stirring, but if needed, you can use two forks to sort of shred apart the soft meat. I like to leave the meat in different sized pieces, having some large chunks and other tiny shreds – it just looks so rustic and inviting that way.
- When you’ve finished breaking up the chicken, increase the heat back to medium-high, give it another stir and make sure everything is warmed through. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and Cayenne pepper. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as necessary and serve piping hot, ladled into bowls with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley sprinkled across the top if you’re using it.
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