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Persian-Style Chicken, Mushroom and Barley Soup
This satisfying meal in a bowl is a riff on the Persian dish called soup-e jo. Though barley’s natural starch lends the soup body, béchamel, a mixture of butter, flour and milk, also is traditional for added richness and thickening. For ease, we skip the béchamel and instead simply mix a tablespoon of flour into the sautéed onion and mushrooms, then swirl in a little cream at the very end. Fragrant spices give the soup color and complexity, and fresh herbs (we like a combination of mint and dill, though just one type does nicely) lift and brighten the flavors.
6
Servings
Tip
Don’t use whole-grain barley, as it requires a significantly longer cooking time than pearled barley.
1 hour
Ingredients
-
2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-
1
medium yellow onion, chopped
Directions
-
01In a large pot over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and the mushrooms release moisture, 6 to 8 minutes.
Reviews
February 25, 2023
Excellent recipe that's a staple in our home
The combination of flavors in this stew is fantastic, especially if you're a fan of savory. After we went through the first batch so quickly, we always double up the recipe so there's more for leftovers. Pro tip: you can save some money and use white button mushrooms, since they're just cremini mushrooms that are harvested before they've developed brown pigment.
January 14, 2023
Tasty!
Hmm, my experience was different than the other reviewers, I loved the seasonings. I didn't have fresh mushrooms, so threw in soaked and drained Chinese dry black fungus, a personal favorite. Delicious!
January 1, 2023
Yummy
Try it, it’s a winner.
December 20, 2022
Not a 5+,but
Still, I'd give it a 5 and would make it again.
November 10, 2025
Changes
The pieces of chicken are too big to eat and if you use white meat, it gets dry. So my advice is to cut the chicken into smaller pieces and add it half way through cooking the barley.
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I made this yesterday and halved the recipe. This was an easy dish to make. It was good but not great. It may have been because my chicken broth was unsalted and I had to add a lot of extra salt to season. I hoped all the herbs at the end would give more flavor, but it was not a wow dish that I would make again.