Chicken Barley Soup/ Light Stew 薏仁鸡汤

Cook (more of) this on Sunday, and there will be leftovers for another easy weeknight dinner the week ahead. Soup or light stew, a comforting and satisfying dish to have, especially during the cold winter months.


This is not my first time cooking Chicken Barley Soup but it is the first time I make it a point to "document" the dish in this blog/website.


Barley is a well-known natural diuretic that helps in curing water retention. This grain is a well-rounded ingredient with fiber (both soluble and insoluble), vitamins (good source of Vitamin B-6), and minerals (e.g. high in magnesium, iron) that maintains overall good health.

I usually add barley when making quinoa and millet congee, turning it to a multi-grain congee. You can also use barley for dessert-soups or savory soups. Or most simply, cook barley water by boiling barley in water! In this dish, barley adds the magical touch of thickening the soup quite a bit, turning it to a stew.



Chicken Barley Soup/ Light Stew 薏仁鸡汤
The ingredients are rather basic - 5-6 organic chicken drumsticks, 2-3 organic celery stalks, thinly sliced, 2-3 medium-sized organic carrots chopped to bite-size, bottom part of 1 leek thinly sliced, 1/2 large onion thinly sliced (or 10-12 peeled whole pearl onions), 1/2 cup of pearl barley, soaked overnight then drained before use.

Add everything to a deep pot, add water enough to partially submerge the chicken, then boil for abt. 15 mins, then simmer at low-medium heat for another 45mins. Salt and black pepper to taste.


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Tag: barley stew, chicken barley stew

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