This lemon chicken rice soup was influenced by a recipe that I shared on the blog in the past. My family loved the lemon chicken orzo soup that I made a while back, so I knew they would love this dish as well. I was not wrong! We loved the strong lemon taste and the vegetables and flavorful chicken. The addition of the rice made it even more filling and delicious. This soup reminds me of a Greek style soup, avgolemono, in that both soups have that strong lemon taste that my family loves so much.
In this dish, I used store bought rotisserie chicken. I like to do this for two reasons: convenience and more flavorful meat. I was also able to use the bones from the rotisserie chicken to make the chicken broth. Overall, I was happy with how this dish turned out! This tangy and filling soup is just the perfect thing on a cold chilly day.
Lemon Chicken Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 sticks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp grated lemon rind
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 9 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken meat
- 1 cup rice, rinsed and drained
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, lemon rind and salt. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the shredded chicken meat and rice, and cook, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot.
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