Lemon Chicken Soup
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Lemon Chicken Soup is a delicious dinner that’s easy to make in under an hour. Lemony and secretly healthy, you’ll love this recipe!
This post was originally shared in 2018 but has since been updated.
This Lemon Chicken Soup recipe is one of my favorite meals. Packed with veggies and hearty portions of chicken, it’s super filling and loaded with light lemony flavor.
This Greek Chicken Soup is delicious with rice, orzo, pasta, or quinoa! It’s not a traditional avgolemono soup (this is made without eggs), but it’s just as delicious!
Easy to make in your crockpot, instant pot or on the stove!
Liz’s Tips for the Best Lemon Chicken Soup
- Plan to undercook your pasta. I like to cook the pasta for half the recommended cook time on the package. The pasta will continue to cook in the soup and absorb liquid as it cools!
- Add more veggies. I like to stir in fresh chopped spinach or even cauliflower rice to this for more vegetables!
- Use precooked chicken to save time! You can use precooked chicken or chopped rotisserie chicken in this recipe to save time and use up leftovers. Cut the cook time in half.
Ingredients
A citrus juicer will also be helpful to have!
What cut of chicken is best for soup? Boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs are the best cut of chicken for soup. Chicken breasts are lower in fat and higher in protein while chicken thighs are higher in fat.
Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute olive oil with avocado oil or melted butter.
Chicken: You can use chicken tenders or boneless chicken thighs if you prefer. I love this recipe with chicken thighs because the fat from the thighs makes the soup a little richer! You can also use pre cooked/shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken! We have also cooked our Crockpot Whole Chicken, pulled all the meat off of the bones and used that for soup too (save the scraps and make Crockpot Bone Broth!)
Cooked Leftover Chicken: You can use this instant pot shredded chicken, slow cooker shredded chicken, or chicken from a rotisserie chicken or roasted chicken. Cut the cook time in half if you’re not using raw chicken. You could also try this Rotisserie Chicken Soup!
Herbs: You can use most herbs interchangeably here. If you don’t have thyme or parsley, use dried rosemary or dried basil. Any of them will be delicious! You can also use dried or fresh herbs. The recipe calls for dried herbs, but if you’d like to use fresh herbs double the amount. Fresh dill is an amazing addition to this recipe!
Orzo Pasta: If you don’t have orzo, any shorter grain pasta will work. We have made this with pastina, alphabets and ditalini. Gluten free pasta will work just fine. Quinoa, rice, or cous cous will also be delicious! We also have a Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup and Chicken Tortellini Soup recipe if you’re looking for other chicken pasta soups.
Zoodles: If you’re looking for a low carb noodle option I like adding zucchini noodles to this soup.
Cauliflower Rice: Cauliflower rice is a great low carb addition to this soup instead of pasta or in addition to pasta!
Spinach: You can add a couple of cups of chopped baby spinach when the soup is finished cooking. It’s a delicious addition!
Broth: Any broth will work in this. You can use bone broth, chicken stock, vegetable stock, etc.
Vegetarian: You could substitute beans for chicken in this recipe and it would be delicious. You’d also need to sub for vegetarian broth.
Creamy Chicken Soup: I have not tried making this chicken soup creamy. I worry that adding milk with lemon will make it curdle. Try at your own risk.
Parmesan Cheese: Add a parmesan cheese rind with the soup while it’s cooking – it adds so much flavor! Remove it at the end when it’s done cooking. You can also top with parmesan or feta.
Extra Veggies: I like to add cauliflower rice, fresh or frozen spinach, frozen green beans or extra carrots to this recipe. You can also try this Chicken Vegetable Soup!
How To Make Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Sauté onions, celery, and garlic until translucent.
- Add in carrots, spices, chicken, and chicken broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
- Discard bay leaves. Remove the chicken, and shred the chicken.
- Add shredded chicken back to the soup with cooked pasta. Add lemon juice and stir together.
Can I make this easy chicken soup in the crockpot instead? Yes! You can easily make this soup in the crockpot. Sauté your veggies and add to the crockpot base.
Place whole chicken breasts on top of vegetables in crockpot. Cover with chicken broth and add spices. Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. See below for full instructions.
How To Serve This Recipe
This recipe is great with a freshly baked bread, or a side salad. We love this Peach Salad with Goat Cheese, Kale Salad, or our Strawberry Arugula Salad.
Storage
Storing: This soup keeps for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freezing this soup: This soup freezes very well and will last for months in the freezer! We like these containers for freezing.
Reheating: You can reheat this soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. If the soup is frozen, you can defrost the night before in the refrigerator. You can also heat in the microwave or on the stove directly from frozen.
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
If you love healthy soup recipes, make sure to grab our free Healthy Soup Ebook here. Here are some of our other favorite soup recipes:
Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Once the vegetables have cooked, add the black pepper, parsley, thyme, salt, bay leaves, chicken breasts, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir together.
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil. It should take about 10 minutes to come to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the soup has cooked for 15 minutes, turn the heat back to medium-high.
- Remove the chicken breasts and set aside.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Add the orzo to the pot and stir together. Cook for half the recommended cook time on the package.
- While the orzo cooks, use 2 forks to shred the chicken breasts.
- Once the orzo has cooked for half the recommended cook time, remove the soup from the heat. The pasta will continue to cook as the soup cools.
- Add the chicken and lemon juice to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Tip: If you prefer a firmer pasta, you can cook your pasta in a separate pot and add directly to your bowl when you’re ready to eat.
Crockpot Instructions:
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add the sautéd veggies to the crockpot. Add the black pepper, parsley, thyme, salt, bay leaves, chicken breasts, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir together.
- Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
- While the soup cooks, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta per the directions.
- Remove the chicken breasts and set aside. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken breasts.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Add shredded chicken, lemon juice and cooked pasta to the pot. Stir to combine and enjoy!
- Tip: If you prefer a firmer pasta, you can cook your pasta in a separate pot and add directly to your bowl when you’re ready to eat.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Set instant pot to Sauté mode for 5 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Once the vegetables have cooked, add the black pepper, parsley, thyme, salt, bay leaves, chicken breasts, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir together.
- Cover instant pot and set to sealing, ‘Soup’ OR Pressure Cook for 12 minutes.
- Allow the soup to come to pressure and cook. It should take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, but can take longer if your broth is cold.
- While the soup cooks, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta per the directions.
- Once the soup has cooked, quick release the pressure.
- Remove the chicken breasts and set aside. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken breasts.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Add shredded chicken, lemon juice and cooked pasta to the pot. Stir to combine and enjoy!
- Tip: If you prefer a firmer pasta, you can cook your pasta in a separate pot and add directly to your bowl when you’re ready to eat.
THIS is one of my fave! I have made it twice in a month. Once on the stove top and the other time pressure cooker. Both were delicious! I love adapting to my carb cycling days…. using with or without rice for example. Or just zoodles etc. SO refreshing yet yummy!
So glad you liked it, Tammy! It’s super easy to make lower or higher carb – I do the same thing! Sometimes I serve with rice, sometimes I serve with zoodles 🙂
This soup was amazing, healthy, and easy! Made mine with bone broth for some added nutrients. Also added in some rice and spinach too that was sitting in my fridge! Will definitely make again, maybe with a tad less lemon next time!
So glad you liked it, Molly! I love to serve it with rice and the more veggies, the better! 🙂
LOVE this recipe! Definitely going to make it again! Super easy & so delicious!
So glad you liked it!
This was great! I just used chicken bone broth to power the salt. I will make again for sure!
So glad you liked it, Arlene! It’s one of our favorites 🙂
My new favorite go to soup when I’m sick! So easy and delicious, if you haven’t tried it.. you should!!!
Thank you so much, Deborah! I’m so glad you like it!
So quick, so easy! My go to every time I’m sick or it’s cold out! Honestly amazing all year long and freezes very well! Love it.
Thank you so much, Rachel! It’s the best when you’re not feeling so great. Glad you enjoy it 🙂
Hi! I’m excited to try this! How would you adjust it if the chicken is frozen?
Hi Melissa – I’m sorry but I’ve never cooked chicken from frozen in my instant pot. I don’t know how it would adjust the cooking time. I recommend allowing your chicken to defrost before making this!
I just made it and I live it! FWIW, This is completely compliant with the low-oxalate that some of us have to follow to prevent kidney stones. Could be worth adding to your SEO!
Thanks, Melissa! I didn’t even know that 🙂 Glad you liked it!
So dang good! Easy instapot recipe.
So glad you liked it, Candy!
So flavorful and so delicious! I love adding lemon to it! Such a hit for my family!
Thank you so much, Tina! So glad you like it!
This recipe was easy to follow and delicious! Everyone wanted seconds!
So glad you liked it, Julie! It’s one of our favorites and it makes me happy to hear your family enjoyed it!
So looking forward to trying this! If I choose to serve with rice, instead of pasta, would you recommend cooking the rice separately then ladling the soup over it?
That’s what I would do 🙂
Hi,
Instead Of chicken breast, Can I add bone in chicken, for example half chicken? What I am willing to do is boil the Half chicken, make a broth and shred the chicken and put it on side and then add the broth on the vegetable and after that add the shredded chicken ( from the half chicken). So is it OK I do that please let me know.
Thank you for such an amazing recipe
Hi Zaharah – When I make broth I prefer to make it separately from the soup because bones can leave a weird film on the stock, or small bones can break out and get in your soup. I’d recommend making your broth with the bone in chicken, straining it, pulling the chicken meat + following the stove top instructions with the broth. You can make it all in one but I’m not sure how it will come out.
This soup was great! I was nervous that the hubby wouldnt like it because of all the veggies and the fact that it so healthy and detoxing. Lol but he loved it, and so did the brother in law who only eats meat and potatoes. they had 4 large helpings!! I added some extra lemon juice and it made for great flavor 🙂 It s 3 days later and my husband is still complimenting the soup
So glad you liked it!!
I have never added lemon to my chicken soup before but I’m a convert! Love the zing that it gives. I just made the soup portion but next time, I’ll definitely add the zucchini noodles! 🙂
As much as I love regular chicken soup I totally agree- I love the lemon addition too! It’s great with zoodles or rice too!
This soup is delicious! Whole family approved. It was so easy to make. I used their bone broth recipe in this soup and it was so, so good! This will definitely be going into the menu rotation.
So glad you liked it Abby! I’m sure it was soooo yummy with the bone broth!
I’m not the biggest soup fan but this soup is delicious! I love how light it is making it the perfect summertime soup!
This makes me so happy to hear! We eat this all summer long too 🙂
I am so glad to find a healthy chicken soup! Quick question: Do you cook the zuchhini zoodles slightly before adding them, after the soup is cooked? Thank you so much!
Hi Sandra- I do not cook the zucchini noodles. I add them in raw to the soup when I am ready to eat the soup. The warmth of the soup is enough to soften them! If you cook ahead of time they will get too mushy.
Soup came out great! Wondering if I can use low sodium chicken broth instead of the regular one next time?
Sure! You can use whatever type of broth you’d like. bone broth, low sodium, veggie broth, etc. All will work fine!
I was just about to ask about veggie broth before making it. Thank you!!
You can use veggie broth, chicken broth or beef broth.
I absolutely love this recipe! I could make it weekly if my family would let me!
Thanks Jennifer! I’d make it every week too if Ty would be ok with it.. it’s my favorite soup!
I was teaching some friends how to use a pressure cooker and chose this recipe. It was great! I let it sit a few minutes after adding the (fresh) lemon juice and it was perfect.
I’m so glad you liked it, Susan! It’s one of my favorite things to make in the pressure cooker!
I made this for my family tonight. They all loved it, even my one that doesn’t like lemon chicken. Big win!!
Glad you liked it, Chris!
Should this have a bitter taste?
Hi Cailee – No it shouldn’t be bitter. I’m guessing this has to do with your lemons. Often when lemons are old they start to get a bitter taste! I’m sorry this happened to you 🙁
Mine was also bitter. I wonder if it would be better to add more lemon juice instead of having the actual lemons in there
Hi Tara- I actually went back and retested this recipe twice after Cailee mentioned it was bitter. I didn’t have a problem either time! I truly think it is because of the lemons, but you can try just adding the juice instead of the actual lemon!
I’m making this right now! I can not wait to try it! Question- I am a calorie tracker (and macro counter), and i know its 193kcal per serving, but can you tell me what a serving size is? Want to make sure I get to eat as much as i can, lol! I apologize if its listed somewhere on the post, I may have overlooked it. Thanks!
Hi! The recipe serves six, so I’d portion it out in 6 even containers and that will help you! 🙂
You’re the best, thank you! It was delicious!!!
I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
This soup was so delicious! Made it in the crockpot! Deffinetly a favorite 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it, Kate!!
This recipe is amazing! It’s satisfying but light which makes it perfect if you are feeling under the weather. It’s so easy to make, I used my crockpot and am happy to have lots of leftovers for lunch. I thought I would want the orzo, but I used carrot noodles from Trader Joe’s and it’s rsally hearty as is!
I’m so glad you like it!! I have to try that with the carrot noodles from Trader Joes – that’s such a good idea!!
Love this recipe! The lemon is so refreshing in the soup.
Totally agree!! I’m glad you love it 🙂
This is my favorite soup of all time!! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you like it, Anna!! It’s one of my favorites too!
Love this recipe! It was super easy to make and had so much flavor! I served the soup over orzo for my husband and I enjoyed it with rice noodles instead because I have celiac and have to eat gluten free. It was so filling and we loved it will definitely make it again 🙂
It is unclear in this recipe. In some spots you add lemon halves and then add lemon juice at the end? Please clarify the steps when it comes to the lemon juice and halves.
Hi Jane – Based on reader feedback I edited this recipe months ago to add the lemon juice to the pot after cooking instead of adding in lemon halves. The directions in the recipe state this, so please re-read and you should be good to go! Thanks!