Chicken with Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 2 pounds chicken thighs, or more to taste
• 1.5 cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery (try to include celery leaves)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 0.75 cup pearl barley
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cube chicken bouillon, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steps

1. Combine water, chicken thighs, and bay leaves in a large stock pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken thighs to a cutting board to cool. Remove and discard bones, skin, and fat; cut the remaining chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to broth.
3. Cool broth until the fat congeals on the surface; skim and discard fat.
4. Add carrots, celery, onion, pearl barley, bay leaves, chicken bouillon, poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and black pepper to broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until barley is cooked and vegetables are tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Stir lemon juice into soup just before serving.