Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
Similar to Chicken Noodle Soup, this Chicken Lemon Rice Soup is a cozy and comforting recipe full of hearty vegetables, chicken and a homemade lemony broth!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 large carrots diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup short grain rice
- 2 lemons juiced about ⅓ cup
- Parsley for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken, the bay leaves and the remaining salt and pepper.
- Add the water and rice, and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and chop into ½-inch pieces. Return the chopped chicken to the soup and remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
Video
Notes
Recipe: This recipe is inspired by the Greek lemon chicken soup (Avgolemono), but it's not the same recipe because that one includes tempering an egg into the broth and also includes some butter and flour.
Storage: Let it cool completely before transferring in an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for 4 days. Reheat the soup gently on the stovetop or in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. The rice will absorb moisture as it sits, so you may want to stir in a little water or stock when reheating to loosen it back up.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
- Instead of short grain rice, you can use long-grain rice or brown rice. If you're using brown rice, be sure to add an extra 25 minutes to the cooking time though. You can also use potatoes, riced cauliflower, celery root or chopped zucchini for some grain free and/or low carb options.
- If you don't have thyme, feel free to use oregano, parsley, cilantro or other herbs.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 723mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5150IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
QR code
Scan code to view the full recipe on your phone.
