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A bowl of chicken lentil soup with fried pita and lemon as garnish.

Lebanese Chicken Lentil Soup

4.96 from 62 votes
Created by Mariam Ezzeddine
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.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 8 servings
servings

Ingredients

  • cup red lentils dry
  • 2 cups shredded chicken cooked, any cut
  • 2 cups onions petite diced
  • 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
  • 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 680mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3813IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg
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