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.
I clicked on this for the recipe but I am so moved by your post about feeling average as a teen. This is a realistic wonderful message that is so needed in today’s hyper competitive atmosphere. Thank you and I plan on making the soup!
Thanks so much Julie. XOXO!
This was so delicious, I made it to bring to a church potluck and it was a big hit. I used fresh tortellini as my pasta to make it a little heartier. My only small changes were: used dried parsley instead of chives, as I didn’t have any… doubled the feta, because, why not? :) and in the end decided to add the juice of the lemon as well. So good. Definitely will go in my list of favorites, and pulled together so quickly. Delicious and easy. Win-win.
Just made this for dinner and I love it! I’m picky with how broths taste and this one is amazingly!
Can you do this in a crockpot on low? I realize the soup doesn’t take long to prepare (so crockpot seems unnecessary) but I love use mine and the smell in the house when something has been slow cooking in it all day. Just wondering if doing so may overcook the cous cous.
Thanks!
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried it in the crockpot, but I bet you could. I would throw the cous cous in the last hour of cooking. :)
Sounds delightful! Do you use lemon juice as well? I’m thinking it was accidentally omitted from the ingredients. Can’t wait to try it !
Looks delicious from when I would go to Greek town in Detroit and have all kinds of food thanks for the memories
I was wondering about that too. About if you use the lemon juice as well as the zest?
Yes! Squeeze the lemons (I used 2, not 1), and add the juice close to the end of the whole process. It really gives a nice edge/tang to it.
Ok….do you just use the zest…not the juice from lemon??
Yes, use the zest!
Can you substitute anything for the couscous?
Orzo can be subbed. It’s a rice shaped pasta noodle.
Hi Jen, You can add any pasta you like!
What about quinoa–if one doesn’t do wheat/gluten/pasta?
This was AMAZING…incredibly tasty and filling. I was pressed for time so I used pre-cooked Rotisserie chicken and it came out great!
Made this tonight and it was delicious and comforting. Kind of like chicken noodle with a twist!
Wonderful recipe! I tried it out and shared with my sister and her husband and they loved it! It’s light and refreshing yet the heat from the pepper flakes gives it enough heat to warm you up on a cold evening. And it’s so easy! I even used rotisserie chicken breast and it turned out great! I’ll make this again! Thanks for posting!