Best Lemon Chicken Rice Soup
This Lemon Chicken Rice Soup is so comforting and delicious. It’s perfect for a cold rainy day and is so easy to make. Full of protein and vegetables, this soup is also good for you!
servings
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken thighs skinless and boneless
- 1 cup celery sliced
- 1 cup onion petite diced
- 1½ cup zucchini diced
- ¾ cup carrots diced
- ½ cup rice washed, I used jasmine
- 2 inch ginger stalk peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cubes chicken bouillon
- 7 cups water
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ¾ tsp. black pepper
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsps. olive oil
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 1 whole lemon sliced for garnishing
- 2 bay leaves dry or fresh
Instructions
- Bring a large pot over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Sauté the diced onions, celery, carrots and garlic for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the boneless chicken thighs and sauté on both sides for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the rice, cilantro, chicken bouillon, black pepper, salt, bay leaves, ginger pieces and the water or chicken broth. Cover and let them cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Open up the pot and remove the chicken. Shred them and return back into the pot along with the zucchini. Cover and cook again for 15 more minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice. Serve and garnish with some lemon juice.
Notes
- Vegetables: feel free to add whatever you have on hand. Have some peas? Add those in. Have spinach, kale, or swiss chard? Leafy greens go well with this lemon chicken rice soup.
- Chicken: feel free to use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs if you wish. Alternatively, you can cut down on cooking time by using shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
- Cilantro: if you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to substitute with any herb of your choice such as basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, dill, etc.
- Make this creamy: stir in ½ cup of heavy cream cream at the end of the soup to make it creamy. Don’t want to add cream? Stir in grated parmesan cheese to make this lemon chicken soup creamy.
- Rice: Don’t have rice? You can use orzo instead.
- You want to make sure that your carrots, onions, celery, and zucchini are cut into bite sized pieces since you want a little bit of everything in each spoonful.
- Be sure to add in the lemon at the very end. The lemon will cause the soup to taste bitter if you add it too early to the soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2191IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate the recipe below and mention @cookinwithmima and tag #cookinwithmima so I can see your recreations.