Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe: A great way to warm your belly on cool autumn evenings! A light and healthy recipe with bold Greek flavors.
Why We Love This Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe
Today’s Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe is a soup recipe that my family absolutely loves. This Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is cozy, healthy, and loaded with Greek flavors like garlic, earthy olive oil, and feta cheese. 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.
This is the kind of chicken soup recipe I make my kids when they come home worn from a long day at school. Sometimes their stories are filled with joy and excitement. Some days they are teary recollections of insecurity and defeat.
I always remind them that this day was just a small step on a long journey. The important thing is to keep taking those steps forward, no matter how hard it seems. Good things are ahead if you don’t give up. Then I give them a warm bowl of chicken soup.
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 recipe is pretty straightforward and simple to make so enjoy!
Sauté the onion and minced garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Pour in the chicken broth, and add 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, salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off.
Remove the two chicken breasts from the pot and shred the chicken. Then place the shredded chicken back in the pot. Stir in the crumbled feta cheese and chopped chives.
Taste then salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
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.
Get the Full (Printable) Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe + Video Below!
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, 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 Also 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.
Yummy! It was my husband’s birthday but he was sick (tho not too sick to enjoy delicious food!) and he had requested Greek lemon chicken soup. But no Greek restaurants close by enough to deliver. Soon, I decided to google a recipe for it and found this. Only thing I didn’t get was what you do with the lemon after zesting it. Never says to add lemon juice. But I checked other recipes and saw that most call for lemon juice. So I added it. Glad I did. Also used rotisserie chicken. Could not find “isreali couscous” but found one called “near east” with garlic and olive oil. It worked. What do you say about adding the juice of the zested lemon? And, any recommendations on chicken broth? What kind? One last thing: just my husband and me. No room for leftovers….so I made 1/4 of the recipe. Worked great!!!
I loved this soup, I just making and finishing a bowl. This recipe is perfect, easy and quick. best to heat the body during cold winter days. Thanks for sharing!
I love this soup. Of course, I made a few slight modifications. I added a cup of matchstick carrots, a teaspoon of vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of oregano, mint and dill. Towards the end of cooking, I floated a Tablespoon of olive oil.
It will be my go to chicken soup.
Is the couscous supposed to be cooked up ahead of time or uncooked?
Hi Robert!
Add it to the soup uncooked, and it will cook in the broth. :)
I LOVED this soup!! It was citrusy and flavourful and light! I substituted the pearl couscous for small alphabet pasta, used a precooked rotisserie chicken for ease and threw in some sliced shiitakes and I enjoyed it so so much! Definitely a must try.
This is so easy and so delicious!! Going to make it for the 2nd time tonight
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Holy cow I love this soup!!! The flavors are perfect and it was super easy to make. Adding this to my meal prep soup rotation. Thank you!!!
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This is my teenage son’s favourite soup. Thank you so much!
I’m not commenting on the recipe although I’m making it tonight but on what you wrote above the recipe. It so resonated with me. So many parents put emphasis on their kid’s performances and the average kids are left to wonder if they’re good enough. I have two kids also: one who is above average academically and one who is average feeling inadequate trying to feel his sister’s boots. It breaks my heart because he’s such a great, kind, funny and compassionate kid that could do anything if he believed in himself. I will read him what you wrote, you are 100% right! Thank you!
This has been a favorite- as written- for years. But my daughter became a vegetarian! I’ve stumbled through adjustments to make her a separate pot without chicken. But a vegetarian version would be a great recipe!
I’m sure tofu would be good instead of chicken. I also put riced cauliflower instead of couscous
Gardein makes chick’n strips that are so close to the texture of actual chicken that when a local Indian restaurant served them, I honestly struggled to tell if I was eating chicken or not. I’d just replace the chicken broth with vegetable or mushroom broth.
Delicious! Followed directions and it turned out perfect. Thank you.
This was so yummy!!!! Simple, healthy and delicious! IU added chopped carrots and celery to the onion base and it was great!
Delicious!
I am in Awe with this soup. I just finish making and finished having a bowl. Super easy and quick. Very conforting during cold winter days. Thanks for sharing! I will definatly keep this receipe safely :)