Servings
Font
Back
Lemon Chicken Soup
5 from 21 votes

Lemon Chicken Soup

Lemon Chicken Soup is a hearty broth-based soup featuring shredded chicken, orzo pasta, and fresh vegetables with a bright lemon flavor. Aromatics like onion, carrot, celery, and garlic are sautéed before simmering with chicken broth and pasta. The soup is finished with a silky mixture of egg yolks and lemon juice that enriches the broth, along with fresh spinach and optional herbs for freshness and color. This comforting soup balances savory and citrus notes.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 317 kcal
Course: Main Course, Soup, Lunch
Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion diced small, small, white or yellow
  • 3 carrot peeled and diced small
  • 2 celery diced small, stalks
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
  • ½ teaspoon basil dried
  • 1 cup orzo pasta or dry uncooked white rice* (See Note in step 4 about simmering time if using rice, dry
  • 1 pound chicken about 3 cups loosely packed shredded chicken, cooked and shredded
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 3 egg at room temperature, large yolks
  • 1 lemon juiced, large
  • 4 ounces spinach a few large handfuls, fresh baby
  • 3 tablespoons dill optional and to taste, fresh herbs such as, etc
  • 3 tablespoons parsley optional and to taste, fresh herbs such as, etc

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add the olive oil, onions, carrot, celery, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir frequently.
  2. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, dried basil, and saute for 1 minute. Stir continuously.
  3. Add the orzo (or rice), shredded chicken, chicken broth (I use reduced sodium chicken broth and add more salt later but you can use regular broth), bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
  4. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until orzo is cooked al dente. Note - If you're using rice (a grain) rather than orzo (short pasta), you'll need to simmer for about 20 minutes since rice takes much longer to cook through than orzo.
  5. While the soup is simmering, in a separate medium bowl add the 3 egg yolks (you can either discard the whites, save them for scrambled egg whites, an omelette or make the white cake I linked in the blog post), the lemon juice, and whisk very well to combine.
  6. Now you will temper the egg yolk mixture by removing one ladle-full of the hot broth from the soup pot, and very slowly, add it to the egg mixture, while whisking constantly and vigorously. Repeat this process with a second ladle-full of broth. Now you have tempered eggs. Tip - The reason for tempering is that if you added the egg yolks directly to the hot pot of bubbling soup, you'd scramble the eggs and end up with egg drop soup with chunky bits of eggs floating which is not the goal here and you'd have to start over. So don't skip the quick step of tempering the eggs!
  7. Slowly add the tempered egg yolk mixture into the main pot of soup, while whisking the entire time. Continue to whisk until smooth and combined.
  8. Turn off the heat, add the spinach, and stir to combine until it wilts.
  9. Taste the soup to check for seasoning balance. Flavor Tips - If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, or like it's missing something, it likely needs more salt, so don't be afraid to add it. Because I use reduce sodium broth, I add a total of about 3 teaspoons of salt. Don't be afraid to add salt so that the soup tastes like it should which is well balanced. If you like a more lemony flavor, add extra lemon juice or a bit of lemon zest.
  10. Garnish the soup with fresh herbs including fresh dill, parsley, or as desired, and serve.

Notes

  • Store leftover soup airtight in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
  • Reheat gently in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, adding extra broth if needed as orzo absorbs liquid during storage.
  • If using rice instead of orzo, simmer longer—about 20 minutes for tender grains.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 317kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 27g (9%) Protein 27g (54%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 5g (25%) Cholesterol 160mg (53%) Sodium 1651mg (69%) Potassium 553mg (12%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 7061IU (141%) Vitamin C 11mg (12%) Calcium 81mg (8%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 317

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 317kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 27g 9%
Protein 27g 54%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 160mg 53%
Sodium 1651mg 69%
Potassium 553mg 12%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 7061IU 141%
Vitamin C 11mg 12%
Calcium 81mg 8%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.