Barley Broth with Chicken
Submitted by jfskarja
Barley broth with chicken, sauteed mushrooms, ribbony leeks, and a crushed chicken liver base enriched with lemon zest and garlic. A hearty British-style soup that doubles as a stew.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
40 minREADY
50 minThis is a proper British barley broth with real character. Pearl barley simmers in chicken stock with lemon juice until tender, then gets finished with sauteed mushrooms, ribbony leeks, and a crushed chicken liver paste stirred through at the end for richness.
The barley needs about 40 minutes of gentle simmering. You want it tender but still with a hint of bite at the center. That slight chew gives the soup texture and keeps it from feeling like porridge. Adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to the stock while the barley cooks brightens the broth and keeps each grain distinct.
The chicken livers are the secret weapon. Sauteed until crusty outside but still pink within, then crushed in the tureen with garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. When the piping hot soup is poured over this paste, it dissolves into the broth and creates a deeply savory, silky base that stock alone can’t achieve.
Slice the leeks into the thinnest shreds you can manage, tender green parts included. They need only 2-3 minutes of gentle cooking to soften into delicate ribbons.
Chef Tips
- The barley keeps swelling after the soup cools. If reheating, add more stock to thin it back to soup consistency.
- Cook the chicken livers separately and keep them pink inside. Overcooked livers turn grainy and bitter.
- The original recipe notes this becomes more stew-like when cooled and reheated. Both versions are good.
- Finely grated lemon zest stirred in at the end adds a bright, aromatic lift that cuts through the richness.
Variations
- Liver-free: Skip the chicken livers if they’re not your thing. The soup is still excellent without them, just less complex.
- Root vegetable: Add diced carrots and turnips with the barley for a heartier, more rustic broth.
Ingredients
Directions
Note: The recipe calls for 1 to 2 chicken livers, if available, and “shreds of cold cooked chicken meat, if available".
Grate the zest of the lemon very finely and reserve it. Put the barley into a soup pan, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and cold chicken stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes until the barley is tender with just a hint of bite to the centre of the grain. Add the chicken meat, if used, to the pan towards the end of this time to heat it through gently but thoroughly.
When the barley is nearly ready, slice the mushrooms thickly, and slice the leeks (tender green parts as well as the white) very thinly indeed so that the leaves fall into ribbony shreds. Cut the chicken livers, if available, into 2 to 3 pieces and sauté them briefly in the butter until crusty on the outside but still pink within. Fry the mushrooms in the fat remaining in the pan then reduce the heat and cook the leeks gently for 2 to 3 minutes, just shaking occasionally. Then add contents of the frying pan to the soup pan. Add the mushrooms and check seasoning.
Put the chicken livers into a warmed soup tureen and crush with a fork to make a coarse paste. Add the finely chopped garlic, the lemon zest and most of the parsley. Pour on the piping hot soup, stir to mix well, sprinkle the rest of the parsley on top and serve.
Note: If the soup is not served straight away, but allowed to get cold, the barley will go on swelling and softening; when reaheated the dish then seems more like a stew than a soup. I like it this way but you may prefer to lift out the grain and cool it down separately from the rest of the soup.
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