Lemon Chicken Soup
Easy and cozy, this soup has a rich broth, tender vegetables and pasta, juicy chicken, and the bright flavors of lemon, garlic, and Italian herbs. It's a simple and delicious dinner made from wholesome everyday ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons butter divided
- 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 1/2 medium yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 1 pound uncooked chicken tenders
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup uncooked small shells, orzo or other pasta
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-2 Tablespoon lemons juice from 1 medium lemon
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1-2 teaspoons dried
Instructions
- Warm olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes. While the veggies start cooking, season the chicken tenders generously with salt and pepper; set them aside.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 3 Tablespoons butter, 3 medium carrots, 1/2 medium yellow onion, 1 pound uncooked chicken tenders, kosher salt and black pepper
- To the carrots and onion, add garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant.3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Stir in the broth, then add chicken tenders to the pot. Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Once bubbling crack the lid open about one inch for steam to escape, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 8 minutes.6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- Remove the lid and stir in pasta. Simmer for another 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, just until the pasta is al dente according to package directions.1 cup uncooked small shells, orzo
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter and combine with the 2 Tablespoons flour to make a quick roux. Stir this into the soup as it cooks.2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Next, remove the chicken and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken to the pot along with the lemon juice, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. (I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 8-10 cracks of pepper, but you may want to add up to 1 teaspoon more. Salt generously until it tastes good!) Add more lemon to taste, as well.1-2 Tablespoon lemons juice, 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Serve and enjoy!
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Notes
- Substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs for the tenders, but they may take a bit longer to cook, unless the chicken breasts are thinly-sliced. Be sure to keep the lid mostly on and don't add the pasta until the chicken is mostly cooked through.
- If you want to make this soup a true 30 minute meal, use shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken in place of the raw chicken tenders. In this case, add pasta directly to the broth when it boils, then add the bite-sized cooked chicken to the broth along with the roux as the pasta cooks.
- This soup makes 4 generous or 6 medium-sized servings for our family. Nutritional info is an estimate based on all ingredients divided among 4 servings, so if you need extra specific information, be sure to plug the exact brand of ingredients you use into MyFitnessPal or a similar app to get the most accurate personalized outputs.
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 427 kcal, Carbohydrates: 33 g, Protein: 36 g, Fat: 18 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g, Trans Fat: 0.4 g, Cholesterol: 95 mg, Sodium: 340 mg, Potassium: 968 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 4 g, Vitamin A: 7948 IU, Vitamin C: 6 mg, Calcium: 59 mg, Iron: 2 mg