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.
Could cilantro replace the chives or parsley?
Hi Jan, Sure! Whichever you prefer. :)
Made it tonight. Delicious!
I made this because it contained all the ingriedients I knew my son was willing to consume (except the couscous- that we hadn’t had before). I absolutely cannot sing the praises of this soup loud enough! First, it comes together so fast – I didn’t even need to thaw the chicken first. Second, the flavor is so fresh and amazing! I will make this all the time! This is the first time here. I saw your soup on a Country Living list of healthy soups. I consider this clean and healthy eating at its best. On a scale of 1-10 this is a 12!
This soup exceeded all of my expectations! We used rice in place of couscous simply because we always have rice on hand but this soup was incredible! I am not a big soup fan usually, but I couldn’t get enough of this one. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
This was delicious!! Any idea about calories per cup?
Thank you for your story. As an only child I didn’t have competition in my home, only the rest of the world! My feelings growing up were quite similar and I love to cook, especially Avgolemono. A slightly different version for a cold and dreary day. Thanks for the inspiration.
My husband has requested this be part of our weekly meals. I had to mod for our low carb lifestyle (no couscous, add 1/2 bag of spinach). Although the recipe says zest of lemon, I added the juice also. This mix of flavors is outstanding! Thank you so much for sharing and your pictures are awesome.
Awesome soup! Made mine today. Thanks for the recipe.
I love this post. So glad I actually read it before getting to the recipe. You’ve inspired me today, so thank you for that! Can’t wait to try this soup, too. :)
Anyone try it with quinoa? thinking it might change the flavor…hmmmmm
Recipe looks delicious however the amount of ads made getting to the recipe a challenge. Will take a screen shot of recipe to avoid this hassle in the future. Sadly, won’t revisit the blog for this reason.
I made this tonight it looks identical and I used all the same ingredients except I think I made a mistake with the feta. I added it at the end,but now the soup has this awful lingering smell. My husband can’t stand the stench and I’m wondering how you add it?
Randi, feta has a distinct smell. My mom can’t stand it but I love it. Perhaps your husband isn’t a fan like my mom.