My lemon chicken soup recipe is here to warm you through and through! There are few flavor pairings as satisfying as lemon chicken recipes. Throw that match made in heaven into a soup, and hold onto your bowls! That’s some serious flavor heaven you’ve got going on.
This lemon chicken soup recipe is versatile enough to soothe you when you catch that wintertime cold or classy-up your next dinner party. What other chicken recipes can do that much leg work with a simple, one-pot dish?
Move over Chicken and Noodles — This is one of the new chicken soup recipes in town!
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What I Love About This Recipe
Well, mostly I love the empty bowls I see at the end of the dinner!
- One-pot wonder
- Citrus flavor perfection
- Easy, delicious ingredients
- Fancy without the stress!
Lemon Soup Recipe Notes
I want you to get every ounce of flavor out of this lemon chicken soup recipe that you possibly can. No ingredient left unused! No measurement left un-scooped! Soup time is a sacred time, and I wouldn’t be singing this soup’s praises if I didn’t believe that it’s the most delicious wintertime meal you’ll have all season.
Ingredient Notes
Gluten-Free: There is one simple solution to make this lemon chicken soup recipe gluten-free: swap out the flour! The flour is used to thicken the soup, but there are tons of other options to get the same effect. My favorite? Coconut milk!
Cheese: Yes, for this recipe, you’ll use the parmesan rind! Cooking with the parmesan gives the same effect as cooking with bones — it infuses the broth with a deep, rich flavor that just can’t be replicated. You’ll get all the cheesy, creamy flavor of parmesan cooked right into each luscious bite!
Garlic: I don’t know what it is about fresh garlic, but I am the worst at picking out cloves! So often, I get home and find out that I bought fresh garlic that’s about a day or two past its use-by date. What’s a chef to do in a pinch? Luckily, you can easily swap fresh garlic for powdered, granulated, or even garlic salt!
Chop Chop: One handy-dandy kitchen tip I love using for carrots and celery is to not dice them at all — you grate them! Grating your carrots and celery gives you soup-perfect pieces in a pinch. But if you want bigger chunks to bulk up your soup, make sure to follow chopping guidelines to stay safe!
Storing Tips
Homemade soups like this lemon chicken soup recipe are great to have on hand when the weather gets too miserable to go out, or when that nasty winter cold sneaks up on you. But how best to store your soup? Read on!
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! My lemon chicken soup recipe is great in the freezer. Cool it thoroughly (no freezer burn here!) and portion it out either into individually sized containers or in one big ol’ sealable soup bowl. I love doing the individually sized portions best — they’re so easy to grab on the go!
Once frozen, your soup will last up to six months! That’s plenty of time to get you through the worst of what I like to call Soup Season (aka winter). If you get fresh, crusty bread delivered, you never have to leave the house!
Make Ahead Tips
If you know you’ll want a fresh pot of lemon chicken soup but won’t have time to follow all the steps, you can make the soup base (step one) ahead of time, and store it in the fridge for up to four days. When you’re ready, follow the remaining steps to soup paradise!
You can also follow through Step Four, then store the soup in the fridge again for up to four days. Reheat to a boil, and finish out the recipe when dinner calls!
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Finished lemon chicken soup recipe will be a-okay in the fridge for up to four days. Just because there’s no chance of freezer burn in your fridge doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cool it off though — you don’t want to raise the temperature of your fridge with hot soup! And temperature change risks bacteria growth. Cool soup is the best soup (for storage)!
Recipe Variations
Soup just begs for variation! Go crazy with new ingredients or textures. You might be surprised what delicious concoctions you whip up!
Can I Add Potatoes?
Potatoes, chicken, and soup — that sounds like a good meal to me! Chicken potato soup is a rustic, down-home classic that will fill all the bellies at your table. Or keep things fancy with chicken gnocchi soup. Those little potato dumplings are mm-mmm good!
Can I Add Coconut?
Remember when I said you can add coconut milk to thicken your soup in lieu of flour? Here we go even further! Coconut chicken soup is a wondrous celebration of coconut’s tropical twist with chicken’s rich heartiness. And I’d be remiss not to mention one of my favorite Thai restaurant treats: Thai coconut chicken soup, otherwise known as Tom Kha Gai. Better than takeout any day!
Can I Cook This In An Instant Pot?
Show me a soup recipe that isn’t Instant Pot ready! Instant pot chicken soup is a fantastic base recipe — with Instant pot lemon chicken soup just behind! But my all-time favorite dinnertime delight has to be instant pot chicken tortilla soup. Fast, scrumptious, and everyone gets to zest up their soups with their favorite toppings.
Can I Cook This In A Crockpot Instead?
Indeed you can! Crockpot chicken soup and crockpot chicken noodle soup are both great additions to autumn-winter parties — leave them simmering all day and transport them in the warming dish. And I don’t know anyone who can resist second helpings of crockpot chicken and dumplings! The hearty flavor is baked right in.
What Other Chicken Soups Can I Make?
For every craving, there is a bowl of chicken soup!
Chicken curry soup brings the spicy flavors of turmeric and ginger to your kitchen routine. Jewish chicken soup celebrates savory, hearty flavors. And Mexican chicken soup is like a taco in a bowl — top with sour cream and cilantro, and you’ll be licking the pot!
Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 6 carrots, diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 salt
- black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chicken flavor Better Than Bouillon
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 (2-3 inch) Parmesan cheese rind
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 cup Parmesan, grated
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
Instructions
- Add oil to a large pot heating over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, carrots, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning until onion is translucent.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Remove pot from the heat and slowly whisk in chicken stock until smooth.
- Stir in Better Than Bouillon, lemon juice, bay leaf, rosemary sprig, and Parmesan rind and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat immediately and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rind and discard.
- Bring the soup back to a high simmer and add the rice and Parmesan cook until it's tender about 15-20 minutes. Add the chicken is heated through, about 5-8 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning, ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve, passing extra Parmesan.
Nutrition
More Lemon Chicken Recipes
Lemon and chicken were made for each other! Did my lemon chicken soup recipe not convince you? Well, go ahead and try these then:
- Lemon Pepper Chicken – Citrus, spice, savory.
- Lemon Garlic Chicken – Garlic makes everything better.
- Lemon Butter Chicken – Smooth and creamy!
- Baked Lemon Chicken – Oven-baked perfection.
- Honey Lemon Chicken – Sweet plus tangy equals satisfied!
Conclusion
Lemon chicken soup brightens those dreary winter days with citrus notes and herbal delicacies. Eat as an appetizer or main meal, at a party or snuggled up by the fire — wherever and however you have it, this lemon chicken soup recipe is a winner!
What flavor is your favorite part of this soup? Let me know in the comments!
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