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.
This is an awesome easy and flavorful recipe. Made this for my daughter, husband and Mom and everyone loved it! Thank you!
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Tried this recipe without chicken,
it was delicious.
Wow, this was honestly amazing! The recipe looked great and the taste definitely matched my expectations. A few small changes I made:
1. Omitted the couscous because I’m low carb. Also reduced the chicken broth to 8 cups since there would be less ‘filling’.
2. Added a few more spices: oregano, herbs de provence, and poultry seasoning.
Next time I will definitely add carrots and celery, they would really compliment the flavour of this soup. 10/10!
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I’ve been making this fabulous soup for years and my entire family including little grandchildren 5 & 3 years old loves it!! I’m making it right now. Someone suggested adding spinach and that sounds delicious! too!!
Chicken soup is my favourite food. With greek lemon it’s increase the taste. I apply your recipe in my kitchen tomorrow. Thanks
I literally followed every step and made this soup and I will say that this made my day. After trying this recipe I am addicted to this soup. Your instructions are so easy and the recipe is so delicious. Thank you! Lots of love to you.
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I made this soup and my husband absolutely loved it. I started it with broth and chicken made in my pressure cooker and only added 32 oz of commercial broth. I also added a few more veggies, mostly carrots and celery but would also consider some spinach. I used the juice of the lemon along with the zest. I would not have guessed that just two ounces of feta could add so much to the soup. Great soup for a spring evening.
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One of my favorite soups!
I can’t tell you how many times I have made this recipe. So easy and so delicious. Quick to make – one of very few soups that don’t need to cook forever. One of my go-to recipes.
This was delicious. Added cilantro and didn’t have a zester so just cut the lemon skin from half a lemon in. Then threw the half right into the soup. Tip: Use a meyer lemon so its sweeter and not too sour/bitter! Rplaced couscous with grits. Add some goat and blue cheese. Perfect!
This is a delicious soup. The flavors with the onions, couscous, lemon zest and garlic give a light soup.
Just found this recipe on Pinterest two days ago. Made it this. The only Chandra I made were based on a couple other replies. I did add the lemon juice from the lemon (because I didn’t want to waste it) and I added a small container of fresh spinach (just because I love spinach) and I added cauliflower rice per Heathers suggestion. Sneaking more veggies into my husband! This soup is so amazing! Thank you for sharing and I am only sorry it took me so long to find it!