One Pot Avgolemono-ish Greek-Inspired Soup
You know those nights when you want something bright and cozy at the same time? This lemon barley soup is it: a light, citrus-forward broth with chewy barley, tender little ground chicken meatballs, pops of salty feta, and fresh dill. It’s hearty, but not too heavy, and I love it.
One of my absolute favorite things about this soup is that you don’t have to brown the meatballs first! They’re literally dropped by the spoonful into the warm broth, yielding tender, springy meatballs with practically no mess to clean up (same with my deconstructed wonton soup!). 🙌🏻 You’ll never want to make them any other way.
My Top 3 Chef-Tested Tips
- Use a high-quality chicken broth (or even better, make chicken broth at home!).
- Drop small. Teaspoon-sized scoops cook evenly and stay delicate; you’ll get lots of meatballs in every spoonful.
- Season at the end, too. Acid fades as soup simmers. Always taste and finish with fresh lemon and a pinch of salt.
Note that barley keeps absorbing liquid. Loosen with hot broth or water when reheating, then re-season with salt and a squeeze of lemon.
And if you’re looking to make this gluten-free, you can swap barley for rinsed white rice (add and simmer until just tender) or cooked quinoa stirred in at the end.
Pro move from working in fine dining restaurants: serve the chicken meatball soup in warm bowls. You’d be surprised how much of a difference warm plates and bowls can make in keeping food hot longer.
Keep The Sides Simple
Serve with crusty bread, a simple Greek salad, or olive-oil rubbed toast for dunking. During my final round of recipe testing, I threw in some English peas for extra veggies — it’s really versatile, so load it up!
And if you’d like to enjoy a glass of wine with the herby chicken soup, go for something light, crisp, and with a fair amount of acidity. Try Assyrtiko, a Greek white wine known for its high acidity, citrus notes, and minerality, or even an unoaked Chardonnay.
Cook this lemony chicken soup once and you’ll have a new go-to for meal prep, busy weeknights, and anyone who needs a hug in a bowl. When you make it, leave a rating and a quick review—I love seeing your spins (extra lemon? more dill?) and your photos!
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Lemony Barley Soup with Chicken Meatballs & Dill
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 6 oz (170g, about 1 cup) pearl barley, see note below
- 6 cups (1.4L) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock
- 2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon
- 1 5.5oz bag fresh baby spinach
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb (454g) ground chicken
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs, use gluten-free if desired
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest, from ½ medium lemon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add diced onion and carrot, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes. Once softened, add 3 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir in 3 Tbsp chopped dill.
- Add barley. Next, add 6oz (170g) of pearl barley. Allow this to toast for about 1 minute, then pour in 6 cups (1.4L) of chicken or vegetable broth and 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice – I use half a lemon now and reserve the rest for later if it needs more acid.
- Simmer. Raise the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce and cover with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Make the meatballs. While the soup is simmering, make the chicken meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients: 1 lb ground chicken, ⅓ cup breadcrumbs, 3 Tbsp chopped dill, 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 large egg, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese. Use your hands to thoroughly mix everything together, being sure it’s all evenly incorporated.
- Cook the meatballs. Remove the lid from the soup, then use a small spoon to drop heaping teaspoon-sized portions of meatballs (they’ll be rustic and freeform!) right into the soup. This yields 45 small meatballs. Return the lid, then cook for 5 minutes.
- Add spinach. Remove the lid once more, add a 5.5oz bag of fresh baby spinach, stir well, then return the lid. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Finish, then serve. Give the soup a good stir, then taste and adjust seasoning. I usually squeeze the juice from the other half a lemon and add about ½ tsp more kosher salt. Divide evenly into bowls, then garnish with extra fresh dill and lots of cracked black pepper. I also like a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and crumbled feta on top too. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have an 8.8oz (249g) package of barley and want to use the whole thing, you absolutely can. I’d recommend adding one additional cup of liquid when adding stock (unless you want a thicker end result). Keep in mind, barley will continue to absorb liquid as it sits.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in airtight containers up to 4 days. Barley will thicken the soup—thin with hot broth or water as you reheat.
- Freezing: For the best texture, freeze without the spinach (stir that in fresh after reheating). Barley softens a bit after thawing—totally fine, just expect a heartier consistency.
Nutrition
Photography by Jo Harding.
This soup was perfect for a fall evening. The broth was so flavorful and the chicken meatballs were light and delicious. I used medium barley and simmered for a few extra minutes to get the texture I wanted. Will surely be making again!
Isn’t this soup absolutely delicious?! I could eat those meatballs every day, and I love how tender they remain in the broth. Thanks for the feedback, Stefanie! Cheers, Ari