This Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice recipe is made with simple ingredients to create a warm and comforting meal. A deliciously light tasting soup!
A WARM AND COMFORTING SOUP RECIPE
I don't know about you but I love a good soup recipe. If you are looking for an alternative to chicken noodle soup then you must give this Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice a try. Don't let the simple ingredients fool you! The flavors blend together so well to create a light and bright tasting soup. This is the perfect soup to serve with some warm, crusty bread. It makes for an amazing lunch or dinner!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Adding lemon juice is similar to adding salt to soup in that it adds an additional layer of flavor and stimulates those same tastebuds like salt does. You don't taste a strong lemon flavor. It just brightens the flavors of all the other ingredients in the soup.
Just leave out the butter.
Add butter to the pot first, sauté the onion, then add the garlic, carrots and celery and sauté for 7 minutes, until tender. Add in the rice, salt and pepper and stir well, then add in stock (don’t use water if using leftover chicken) and simmer for 15-20 minutes before adding the shredded chicken, lemon juice, parsley and dill.
Yes. 1 ½ Tablespoons of dried parsley can be used instead of fresh. 2 teaspoons of dried dill can be used instead of fresh.
No. You can use long grain white rice instead. If you use brown rice, you may need additional liquid but I haven't tested it with brown rice.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF POST)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- garlic
- yellow onion
- celery
- carrots
- bay leaves
- salt and pepper
- water (or chicken stock)
- salted butter
- arborio rice
- lemons
- fresh parsley and fresh dill
HOW TO MAKE LEMON CHICKEN SOUP WITH RICE:
Place chicken breasts, garlic, onion, celery, carrots, bay leaves, salt, pepper and water into a large pot over medium heat. Stir mixture.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes (until chicken is cooked). Note: Internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165F degrees when thoroughly cooked.
Remove chicken from the pot and shred or finely dice. Set aside.
Add butter and rice to the pot and stir well. Cover and simmer mixture over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the cooked chicken, lemon juice, parsley and dill into the pot. Stir well and continue cooking (covered) for another 10-15 minutes, until rice is tender.
Season with more salt and pepper (if desired). Remove bay leaves before serving. Optional: Top with fresh lemon slices. Enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Crock Pot Rice Pudding (+Video)
- Crock Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken (+Video)
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Skillet
Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups water (or chicken stock)
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup arborio rice
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts, garlic, onion, celery, carrots, bay leaves, salt, pepper and water into a large pot over medium heat. Stir mixture.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes (until chicken is cooked). Note: Internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165F degrees when thoroughly cooked.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred or finely dice. Set aside.
- Add butter and rice to the pot and stir well. Cover and simmer mixture over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked chicken, lemon juice, parsley and dill into the pot. Stir well and continue cooking (covered) for another 10-15 minutes, until rice is tender.
- Season with more salt and pepper (if desired). Remove bay leaves before serving. Optional: Top with fresh lemon slices. Enjoy!
Notes
- If using chicken stock instead of water, do not add additional salt. The stock adds quite a bit of salt to the soup. Only add additional salt when soup is cooked and you've tasted it for seasoning.
- The butter is optional but adds a nice richness to the soup.