Made with a handful of simple ingredients, this Chicken Lentil Soup is full of flavors, super easy to make, and is such a healthy soup. Despite using mostly pantry staples, this soup is super filling on top of being budget friendly.
Similar to my Lebanese Lentil Soup (Shorbet Adas), this chicken lentil soup uses a ton of pantry staples and wholesome ingredients. However, it’s a little more hearty than the lentil soup alone as it has the addition of the shredded chicken. So flavorful and easy to make, you’ll definitely want to bookmark this to make later. You can enjoy this as a full meal in itself or as a side of soup instead.
If you’d like to try more delicious recipes like this chicken lentil rice soup, here are a few that my family loves to make: Lebanese Spinach Pies, Vermicelli Rice, and my Baba Ghanouj. They’re super easy to make and are so delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Lentil Soup
- It’s easy to make. Like any soup, a majority of the work is simmering the soup until it’s ready to go. You’ll love how easy it is to make once the ingredients are all in the pot! You’ll be enjoying this Mediterranean lentil soup in no time as well.
- You can use leftovers. If you’ve got leftover chicken, this is such a great way to repurpose it. If not, you can always use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save yourself time!
- It’s freezer friendly. You can make a double batch and freeze the rest for later. It’s perfect for when you don’t feel like making dinner as all you have to do is thaw it in the fridge or reheat it from frozen.
Lentil Soup Ingredients
- Red lentils– you want dried red lentils for this. Be sure to rinse them really well.
- Shredded chicken– you can use any cut of chicken or use leftover chicken for this soup.
- Onions– I like using sweet white onions for this recipe but regular onions work well. Be sure to cut them into very small piece.
- Shredded carrots– I like using shredded carrots and chop them up a little more. If you don’t have shredded carrots you can cut them into very small pieces.
- Chicken broth– always use low sodium so you can control how salty you’d like this to be.
- Salt and pepper– to taste. Use as much as you need per preference.
- Olive oil– use light flavored olive oil or normal normal extra virgin olive oil.
- White rice– uncooked and rinsed. I used Jasmine rice.
- Cumin powder-I love adding a little cumin to taste but feel free to leave it out.
- Lemon juice– use freshly squeezed. Do not use bottled lemon juice.
- Italian parsley– chopped fresh parsley. If you don’t have, you can use dried. But preferably parsley.
How to Cook Lentil Soup
- Wash the lentils: Wash them really well in a bowl until the water does not look cloudy anymore. Drain the water and set aside.
- Fry the onions: Bring a large pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Fry the onions until caramelized in color.
- Add in the soup ingredients: Add in the washed lentils, shredded carrots, rinsed riced, cumin powder and black pepper. Mix and sauté for a couple of minutes then add in the chicken broth, salt and water. Adjust salt to taste.
- Simmer the lentil soup: Cover, but crack the lid oven just a little. Reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the soup to cook very well until the lentils and rice have almost dissolved. Takes about 40 minutes.
- Add the chicken: Add in the cooked shredded chicken, parsley and lemon juice. Cook covered for another 10 minutes. The soup should not be too runny or thick. Right in between is perfect.
- Serve and enjoy: Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with some fresh parsley and serve with a side of baked/fried pita bread and lemon wedges.
Tips to Make Easy Lentil Soup
- Use only red lentil for this recipe. Different lentils have different cook times. The red lentils breaks down quicker to give your soup a thicker consistency. They are found almost at all grocery store, but can be found mostly at bulk foods and middle eastern stores.
- Always rinse the red lentil very well, until the water color can be seen through.
- I love using shredded chicken thighs but they can use chicken breast or a different cut of chicken if you like.
- The soup should not be too runny or thick. Right in between is perfect for me. But you can make it as you prefer. I suggest you let the soup rest for a couple minutes before serving it as the lentils and the rice will help the soup thicken some more as it cools.
- Definitely serve with some fried or baked pita bread. I LOVE having mine with fried pita.
Frequently Asked Questions
I usually like to add toppings to change things up like fried pita, however, if you like 7 spice or all spice you can add a little pinch to the soup as well. You can also add in some hot sauce when you serve. Tabasco is my favorite with this chicken and lentil soup.
You can definitely make this chicken lentil soup recipe ahead of time to save you having to cook every day! This soup keeps for 4-5 days so simply reheat it when you’d like to serve it. Reheat it in a pot or in the microwave.
Store any leftover soup in an air tight container in the fridge. It can also be frozen, thawed and reheated at any time. To freeze, simply allow the soup to cool before transferring it a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
No need to soak the lentils! Just rinse them and add them as they are straight into your pot.
Yes you can. Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and do not add in the shredded chicken.
Want More Delicious Recipes?
- Lebanese Hummus with Spiced Meat
- Easy Beef Shawarma Bowl
- Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)
- Lebanese Cheese Rolls
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Chicken Lentil Soup recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Lebanese Chicken Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ cup red lentils dry
- 2 cups shredded chicken cooked, any cut
- 2 cups onions petite diced
- 1½ cup shredded carrots
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp. black pepper or less to taste
- 2 tbsps. olive oil light tasting
- ⅓ cup white rice uncooked, rinsed ( I used Jasmine)
- ½ tsp. cumin powder
- ¼ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 3 tbsps. Italian parsley fresh, finely chopped plus more for garnishing
- salt to taste
Serve with
- fried or baked pita
- fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
- Wash the lentils really well in a bowl until the water does not look cloudy anymore. Drain the water and set aside.
- Bring a large pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Fry the onions until caramelized in color.
- Add in the washed lentils, shredded carrots, rinsed riced, cumin powder and black pepper. Mix and sauté for a couple of minutes then add in the chicken broth, salt and water. Adjust salt to taste.
- Cover, but crack the lid oven just a little. Reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the soup to cook very well until the lentils and rice have almost dissolved. Takes about 40 minutes.
- Add in the cooked shredded chicken, parsley and lemon juice. Cook covered for another 10 minutes. The soup should not be too runny or thick. Right in between is perfect.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with some fresh parsley and serve with a side of baked/fried pita bread and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Use only red lentil for this recipe. Different lentils have different cook times. The red lentils breaks down quicker to give your soup a thicker consistency. They are found almost at all grocery store, but can be found mostly at bulk foods and middle eastern stores.
- Always rinse the red lentil very well, until the water color can be seen through.
- I love using shredded chicken thighs but they can use chicken breast or a different cut of chicken if you like.
- The soup should not be too runny or thick. Right in between is perfect for me. But you can make it as you prefer. I suggest you let the soup rest for a couple minutes before serving it as the lentils and the rice will help the soup thicken some more as it cools.
- Definitely serve with some pita bread. I LOVE having mine with fried pita.
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