Clear broth soup with diced potatoes, carrots and grains, sprinkled with fresh dill, in a white rimmed bowl on a floral tablecloth. — Photo: Aw58 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Eastern European · Lunch · Dinner

Krupnik (Polish Barley Soup)

Name: Krupnik (Polish Barley Soup)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Cuisine: Eastern European
Ingredients: 500 g (2 medium breasts) skinless chicken breast; 8 1/2 cups (2 litres) water; 3/4 cup pearl barley; 3 medium carrots, diced; 1 medium parsley root or parsnip, diced; 1 small wedge (about 1 cup diced) celeriac, diced; 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil; a small handful dried mushrooms (porcini or similar); 1 cup hot water for soaking mushrooms; 2 leaves bay leaves; 4 berries allspice berries; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground; 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Krupnik

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · How we make recipes

A warming, rustic Polish soup of pearl barley, tender root vegetables and shredded chicken in a fragrant allspice and bay broth, finished with plenty of fresh dill. Lean chicken breast and just a spoonful of oil keep it light and filling.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 60 min
Total: 85 min
Serves: 6

Easy
Dairy Free
High protein

15%

Per serving293kcal15% of a 2,000 kcal day

24gProtein

39gCarbs

5gFat

8gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 52% · Fat 16% · Protein 32%

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

500 g (2 medium breasts)skinless chicken breast
8 1/2 cups (2 litres)2,000 gwater
3/4 cup150 gpearl barley
3 medium180 gcarrots, diced
1 medium100 gparsley root or parsnip, diced
1 small wedge (about 1 cup diced)150 gceleriac, diced
2 medium300 gpotatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium110 gonion, finely chopped
1 tbsp14 grapeseed (canola) oil
a small handful10 gdried mushrooms (porcini or similar) (optional)
1 cup250 ghot water for soaking mushrooms (optional)
2 leavesbay leaves
4 berriesallspice berries
1 1/2 tsp9 gsalt
1/2 tspblack pepper, ground
1/2 cup15 gfresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup10 gfresh parsley, chopped

Steps

1
If using dried mushrooms, cover them with the hot soaking water and leave for 20 minutes.
2
Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear.
3
Place the chicken breasts, 2 litres of water, bay leaves and allspice in a large pot and bring to a boil.
4
Skim off any foam, lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
5
Stir in the rinsed barley and simmer for another 20 minutes.
6
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
7
Lift the mushrooms from their water, chop them, and strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve or paper towel to remove grit.
8
Add the carrots, parsley root, celeriac, potatoes, softened onion, chopped mushrooms and their strained liquid to the pot.
9
Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the barley and vegetables are tender; add a splash of water if the soup gets too thick.
10
Remove the chicken, check it has reached 74 °C / 165 °F in the thickest part, then shred it with two forks and return it to the pot.
11
Remove the bay leaves and allspice berries, then season with the salt and pepper.
12
Stir in the dill and parsley just before serving.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a gluten-free version, replace the pearl barley with buckwheat groats or brown rice; everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free.
Use skinless chicken thighs instead of breast for a richer, more forgiving meat that stays moist when simmered.
For a vegetarian version, leave out the chicken, add a can of drained white beans with the vegetables, and use vegetable stock instead of water for more flavour.
If you can't find parsley root or celeriac, use an extra parsnip and two sticks of diced celery.

Storage

Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours in a covered container for 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot; the barley keeps absorbing liquid, so add a splash of water when reheating. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, though the potatoes may turn slightly soft, and add fresh dill after reheating.

Make ahead

Dice the vegetables and rinse the barley up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, with the potatoes submerged in cold water. The whole soup also reheats well the next day; just stir in the fresh herbs right before serving.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: GlutenCelery

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (590 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	293 kcal	50 kcal
Protein	23.5 g	4 g
Carbohydrates	38.6 g	6.5 g
of which sugars	4 g	0.7 g
Fiber	7.6 g	1.3 g
Fat	5.1 g	0.9 g
of which saturated	0.8 g	0.1 g
Sodium	689 mg	117 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.