Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 7, 2025 
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe is a light and healthy soup with bold Greek flavors, and a great way to warm your belly on cool evenings!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup… For the Soul
Today’s Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is a recipe that my family absolutely loves. We first tasted something similar at a little soup and sandwich shop right outside Kiawah Island in South Carolina. It’s a cozy and healthy Chicken Soup, loaded with Greek flavors like garlic, earthy olive oil, and feta cheese.
This is the kind of soup recipe I make for my kids when they come home, worn from a long day at school. The little orbs of pearl couscous and morsels of cheese swirl to the surface with every spoonful.
A sight that lifts the spirit and warms the belly!
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken Broth – or chicken bouillon. If using low-sodium broth, you might need to add a little extra salt!
- Olive Oil – to sauté the veggies and chicken
- Garlic – freshly minced
- Onion – in small strips
- Lemon Zest – this adds loads of lemony flavor! Serve the soup with the slices of lemon.
- Chicken – chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well
- Pearl Couscous – also known as Israeli couscous, it is larger than regular couscous
- Crushed Red Pepper – for a hint of spice
- Crumbled Feta – for a tangy, savory flavor
- Chives – as garnish, if desired
- Salt & Pepper – to taste
How to Make Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
This soup is pretty straightforward and simple to make! Find the full Lemon Chicken Soup recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Tips & Tricks
- You can replace the couscous with long-grain white rice, orzo pasta, or acini di pepe pasta balls! Each one will have a different cooking time though, so adjust as needed. If adding rice, you might need more liquid! Rice will lend a more creamy texture!
- Garnish with fresh herbs like chopped chives, or fresh dill or parsley!
- Add additional vegetables! You can add diced carrots and celery for a more traditional chicken noodle soup, with the Greek twist of lemon and feta!
- Use rotisserie chicken for ease! You can skip cooking the chicken and simply add shredded rotisserie chicken if you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead?Absolutely! If you have leftover chicken on hand, you can definitely make this Greek chicken soup recipe with shredded rotisserie chicken or any chicken you have.
Can I make this soup vegetarian?To make vegetarian greek lemon soup, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth!
Is this soup gluten-free?No! Couscous is not gluten-free. If you want to make a gluten free Greek lemon chicken soup recipe, simply omit the couscous or add a gluten free alternative like rice, quinoa, or gluten-free orzo pasta.
What goes good with lemony chicken soup?Dish your lemony chicken soup up on its own or serve it with breadsticks and a Greek salad!
How should I store Greek lemon chicken soup?To store any leftovers, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the fridge! To freeze, place the cooled soup in a zip bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and warm up in a sauce pan on the stovetop before serving! Or, simply reheat in the microwave!
Looking for More Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 large lemon, zested
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup Israeli couscous (pearl)
- 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 2 ounces crumbled feta
- 1/3 cup chopped chive
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the olive oil in a large 6-8 quart sauce pot over medium-low heat. Peel the onion. Then quarter it and slice into thin strips. Once the oil is hot, saute the onion and minced garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.
- Add the chicken broth, raw chicken breasts, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper to the pot. Raise the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the couscous, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off.
- Using tongs, remove the two chicken breasts from the pot. Use a fork and the tongs to shred the chicken. Then place it back in the pot. Stir in the crumbled feta cheese and chopped chive. Taste and salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.
Soup has good flavor but next time I make it, I will not boil the chicken. I will pressure cook it or use a rotisserie chicken. Maybe my breasts were too large but I think the outside was overcooked before the inside was done. The texture is very woody. I’d also say to definitely add some of the lemon juice as well but that is my preference.
haven’t made this recipe yet, but commenting because your term “woody” compelled me to let you know about Woodsy Breast, it happens with chicken breasts sometimes, I’ve had it happen with both fresh and frozen chicken, i was completely confused how it was happening across recipes so much, until i found the cause! I’ve yet to find a way to detect it before cooking, so I’ve had to throw away a lot of chicken as this makes it inedible. just so you know, it likely wasn’t you or the recipe, I’d definitely try rotisserie though it may make it saltier, or just pressure cooking as you also mentioned.
have a wonderful day! hope this helps!
Yes I made this! I’m very happy. It was delicious! I made some changes and additions – used chicken from a rotisserie chicken plus cooked 1/2 cup chopped celery with onion. After simmering with lemon zest I added the chicken and feta and stirred and then added chopped fresh spinach. My new favorite chicken soup! Thank you for recipe.
Easy to do and delicious outcome! Thank you!! Also my family likes a little more lemon flavor so you can taste your sauce and alter accordingly!
Curious if this could be adapted to the instant pot? My whole family loves this soup and I’ve made it many times on the stove, but would love to try an instant pot version.
I really like this soup, although I used more feta. Quick and easy to put together.
Wow, This was an amazing one. Thanks for this lemon chicken soup
wow this is one of the best recipe of chicken soup. i am also beggineer chef . i read most of your blog posts. because of you i became an averege chef. i want you too look my recipe and give me some tips which i can work on it. thank you
This is my favorite soup! I made a few changes- no zest but juice of 2 lemons, white rice or cauliflower rice, added diced carrots and celery with the onion, and a big handful of fresh dill. I could eat this every day! Thank you!
I make it with Jasmine rice because I always have it in my cabinets. Today I had no chives and used mint and purple basil because I had some left over. It was great especially the mint.
How did it work with the Jasmine rice? This is actually what I’d like to use instead of couscous.
First time trying couscous, I love it! Great recipe, super easy and quick to make. I also used a rotisserie chicken so i didn’t have to deal with raw chicken.
So good, everyone in my family loved this.
So simple and so quick for such a lovely dish. My family loved it – from my 6 year old to my brother who was a professional chief. I’m trying to loose my lock down tummy so I replaced the cous cous with cauliflower rice and didn’t have chives so finely diced some zucchini and popped it in for the last couple of minutes and then had sliced green onions (scallions in the US?). It was a real hit and one that I can see myself making regularly. Thank you!
This soup is so wonderful I’ve memorized it and it’s been in the regular rotation for months. I have simplified it by using lemon marinated chicken from whole foods and using a slow cooker. I saute onions and garlic and throw it in the pot with broth chicken spices lemon rind and cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Add the cous cous. Turn the heat to warm and add the cous cous and chives. Garnish with the feta. I’ll be making this dish for the rest of my life. How many recipes can you say that about?