Persian Oatmeal Soup with Chicken
Oct 23, 2026
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This Persian oatmeal soup with chicken is a one-pot dinner where everything goes into the pot at once and comes out creamy in about an hour, without a drop of cream. It’s soup-e jo the way my mom made it all the time: for gatherings and parties, for sick days, and on ordinary weeknights.
Old-Fashioned Oats and Milk Make It Creamy Without Cream
Old-fashioned oats break down just enough to thicken the broth, and warm milk stirred in at the end turns it silky. If you want the barley route, my hearty mushroom barley soup is a meatless take on it.
The other reason I make this so often is how little work it takes. There’s no sautéing and no browning. You put the onion, garlic, chicken, oats, and carrot in a pot with water, let it simmer, then pull the chicken out and shred it. It’s simple, easy and perfectly delicious for a weeknight dinner as well as an appetizer for your guests.
How I Developed This Recipe
I grew up on this soup, but writing it down meant testing what actually holds up.
- Quick oats won’t work. They fall apart once cooked and change the texture. They dissolve into the soup and turn the texture mushy. Old-fashioned oats keep a little body.
- Barley stays too chewy. In the same cooking time it never softened enough, and the soup lost the creamy texture that makes it soup-e jo.
- Use chicken breast, not thighs. Thighs change both the color and the texture of the soup. Breast shreds cleanly and keeps the soup pale and creamy.
- The milk has to be warm. Cold milk curdles when it hits the hot soup. Warm it slightly and pour it in slowly while you stir.
- Lemon goes in last. Add it any earlier and the milk curdles. Stir it in at the very end, or let everyone squeeze it into their own bowls.
Ingredients
- Old-fashioned oats: These are the thickener, so don’t swap them for quick oats or barley.
- Chicken breast: Boneless and skinless, cut in half so it cooks evenly. Rotisserie or leftover chicken works too.
- Whole or 2% milk: This is what makes the soup creamy.
- Water or stock: Water is all you need, but stock makes the soup richer. A batch of homemade chicken stock from scratch is the best version of that swap.
- Onion, garlic, and carrot: They go in raw with everything else. The carrot is shredded so it melts into the soup.
- Parsley and lemon: Half the parsley goes in at the end and half on top. The lemon is the one thing you can’t skip, because it’s what makes the soup taste finished.
How to Make Persian Oatmeal Soup
Put the onion, garlic, chicken, oats, carrot, olive oil, salt, pepper, and water in a large pot and bring it to a simmer.
Once the chicken is cooked through, take it out, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot.
Slowly pour in the warm milk while stirring, then simmer for 10 more minutes.
Stir in half the parsley and the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Make It With Mushrooms, Leftover Chicken, or No Chicken
Add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms to the pot when you return the shredded chicken. They cook through while the milk simmers and make the soup heartier. If you’re using rotisserie or leftover chicken, let the oats simmer on their own and stir in the shredded chicken at the same point. For a vegetarian version, leave the chicken out entirely.
Storing and Reheating
The soup keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. I don’t freeze it, because the milk and oats change texture once thawed. The oats keep thickening as the soup sits, so add ½ cup of water when you reheat it and more as needed.
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More Chicken Soups To Try
Greek Recipes
Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
Mediterranean recipes
Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup
Soups and Stews
Lemon Turmeric Chicken Soup
Soups and Stews
Lemon Chicken And Rice Soup Recipe
Persian Oatmeal Soup with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in half
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 6 cups water, or chicken stock for a richer soup
- ½ cup whole or 2% milk, slightly warmed
- 1 cup chopped parsley, divided
- Juice of 1 lemon, plus more for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine the onion, garlic, chicken, oats, carrot, olive oil, salt, pepper, and water. Partially cover with the lid, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. Stir well.
- Pour in the warm milk slowly, stirring constantly. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in half the parsley and the lemon juice. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or lemon if needed.
- Serve garnished with the remaining parsley, with extra lemon on the side.
Notes
- Use old-fashioned oats only. Quick oats fall apart, and barley stays too chewy.
- Warm the milk before adding it as cold milk will curdle.
- Add the lemon only at the very end, or squeeze it into individual bowls, so the milk doesn’t curdle.
- If desired, add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms with the shredded chicken.
- Cooked chicken: Rotisserie or leftover chicken works. Simmer the soup without it, then stir it in at step 3.
- If the soup is too thick for you, add more water.
- This soup keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. Not recommended for freezing. When reheating, add ½ cup water and more as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
