Easy Instant Pot Chicken Barley Soup
This comforting and hearty chicken and barley soup cooks in the Instant Pot, for a quick and easy meal!
You’ll love how simple it is to make this Instant Pot chicken barley soup! It’s a delicious meal that warms the soul!
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There’s something about the classic comfort foods that never disappoints, isn’t there?
It’s “just food,” after all…but it has the power to change our frame of mind.
Whether it’s a bowl of chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, chicken taco soup, or chicken noodle soup, these meals leave you feeling satisfied, warm, and hopeful.
This Instant Pot chicken barley soup is no exception! The fragrant thyme, tender chicken and veggies, and hearty barley are a delicious and comforting meal!
It’s sure to become one of your favorite Instant Pot soup recipes!
Pressure Cooker Chicken Barley Soup
One of the great things about using the pressure cooker for soups is that everything cooks together quickly, including the chicken!
This allows the flavors to meld together easily, as if the soup simmered for hours.
This chicken barley soup is also pretty adaptable–feel free to add more or different veggies, if you’d like! It’s on my list of the best Instant Pot chicken soups, and I think you’ll see why!
How to Make Chicken and Barley Soup in the Instant Pot
It’s easier than you think to make this comforting soup!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Boneless chicken breast
- Carrots
- Onion
- Celery
- Chicken broth
- Pearl barley
- Bay leaf
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Ground thyme
- Ground sage
- Better than Bouillon chicken bouillon (optional)
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Combine ingredients. First, you’ll add the veggies, chicken, broth, barley, and seasonings together in the Instant Pot.
Pressure cook. Next, you’ll select a cook time of 15 minutes at high pressure. When the cook time is complete, allow a natural release of pressure.
Stir and serve. Last, you’ll carefully open the lid once the pressure has released. Shred the chicken, remove the bay leaf, then return the chicken to the pot.
Stir, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve! Easy peasy!
Notes and Adaptations:
- Feel free to add different vegetables if desired. You could add in green beans, peas, corn or whatever you desire.
- Using Better than Bouillon is optional, though I find it adds good flavor. If you choose not to use it, you may need to add some salt to taste.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot pressure cooker (I have the DUO60 model, which I love)
Instant Pot Chicken Barley Soup
This hearty and comforting chicken and barley soup cooks quickly, thanks to the Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 1 bay leaf, broken
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground thyme
- 1/8 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp Better than Bouillon chicken bouillon (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the insert pot of the Instant Pot.
- Close lid and set the vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time of 15 minutes at high pressure.
- After the cook time is complete, allow a natural release of pressure. Once the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid.
- Shred the chicken and return to the broth. Remove the bay leaf.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve!
Notes
- Feel free to add more or different veggies if desired, such as green beans, corn, peas, etc.
- I recommend using Better than Bouillon, because it adds more flavor. However, if you don't have Better than Bouillon handy, you can use a bouillon cube or crystals, or add more salt.
Stock Your Freezer!
2. No need to thaw before cooking in the Instant Pot--meals can cook from frozen!
3. Easy-to-use plan includes shopping lists, labels, recipes, and instructions!
Better than bouillon chicken or beef? Or does it matter. It doesn’t specify in your recipe. Thanks!
Hi Peggy! I’m sorry about that–I use the chicken Better than Bouillion. Thanks for asking–I’ll update the recipe to be more clear!
This was delicious!! I’m wanting to prep ahead and freeze. Can this recipe (with raw chicken breasts) be frozen together in a gallon bag and dumped into the instant pot? I’m guessing the times would be the same if I thawed it overnight?
Hi Dana! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the soup! Yes, I think it would be just fine to put everything together in a gallon bag and freeze it–you can thaw it overnight and use the same cook times. If you don’t have time to thaw it, you could cook it from frozen as well (but you’d want to freeze the contents in a shape that they would fit in the cooker–I sometimes freeze the bag inside of a bowl so it takes the shape of the bowl). In that case, I’d add 1/2 cup of water to the insert pot to help get the steam going, and then increase the cook time to 15 minutes. It will take longer for the pot to come to pressure, since the contents will be so cold, but is a good option if you don’t have time to thaw first. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the recipe! I sauteed my vegies in the pot to heat it up and to give a little more flavour. My chicken breasts were frozen but I just added them in, along with a teaspoon of turmeric. It turned out delicious!
Thank you, Lucinda! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love the idea of adding turmeric–I’m going to try that next time! 🙂