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+ servings
Two bowls of chicken soup with bread
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5 from 3 votes

Lemony Chicken Soup

The perfect extra healthy, but still cozy chicken soup with a little extra pep from the lemon. Packed with veggies, you won't even miss the noodles.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Soup/Chili
Cuisine: Comfort
Keyword: 30 minute, carrots, celery, chicken, comfort, lemony, onions, rotisserie chicken breast, soup
Servings: 10
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Lillie

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped celery 230 g
  • 3 cups chopped onion 1.5 medium onions, 360 g
  • 3 cups chopped carrots 350 g
  • 1 Tbs kosher salt
  • Several twists of fresh ground pepper about 1/4-1/2 tsp
  • 2 tbs fresh rosemary minced or 2 tsp dried
  • 6 cloves minced garlic or frozen dorot cubes
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes *optional
  • About 8 cups 1110 g shredded rotisserie chicken breast (I buy the big vacuum packed one from Costco. Roll up your sleeves and pick it apart to remove anything gross and shred into bite sized pieces! I regret it when I leave them too big. I used the entire package so this is the weight after gross parts are trashed.)
  • Zest from 2-3 lemons depending on how lemony you like it
  • Juice from 1-2 lemons
  • 8 cups chicken broth I use 2 of Costco's or Trader Joe's boxed
  • 1.5 tbs chicken bullion I love the better than bullion but whatever you have!
  • 12 oz cauliflower steamed *optional
  • 2-3 more tbs fresh minced rosemary or 2-3 tsp dry
  • Handful of fresh minced parsley
  • Top with fresh grated parmesan if you love yourself not included in macros - but won't cost much!

Instructions

  • Heat a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and add celery, onion, carrots, and salt/pepper stirring occasionally for about 5-10 until tender.  Add rosemary, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
  • Turn down to low and add shredded rotisserie chicken breast, lemon zest/juice, chicken broth, and bullion. Put a lid on to simmer.
  • If you like a thicker, "creamier" broth, blend steamed cauliflower. If it's too thick, Scoop out a cup of broth from your soup to blend it with the cauliflower 'till nice and smooth. Add pureed cauliflower/broth back into soup.  Finish with extra fresh rosemary and a handful of fresh minced parsley. Simmer 'till dinner!

Notes

  1. We always make a pot of pasta for anyone who wants to add some in! Orzo, wild rice, farro, or quinoa would also be great if you'd like the extra carbs.  I prefer to use mine on the fresh french bread!! SOOO GOOD. 
  2. I love sautéed mushrooms in this, but that's a huge NO for my kids. So I keep them on the side and throw them into my own bowl. 
  3. TIP: I like the soup pretty thick since I'm not doing noodles, but if it ends up too thick for the kids to add in noodles, or even for my mushroom addition (especially the leftovers as the veggies tend to soak up more liquid over time) ...  we keep a box of chicken broth out during dinner and I'll add extra broth to their hot bowls of soup. The perfect way to cool it down just enough too! But that way the macros are still correct for the pot of soup. You don't want to charge yourself for 100 grams of soup if it's half broth!
  4. We've done it with and without the pureed cauliflower and my family preferred it with! It just makes it more thick and a little creamy. The macros hardly change with the addition.. I've included the cauliflower in the macros below but if you skip it, your protein goes up by 2 per serving but that's about it! The other two are just a fraction of a gram. Insignificant.
  5. If you track your macros: you can log this directly from My Fitness Pal by searching Lillie Eats and Tells Lemony Chicken Soup.
  6. Instant Pot directions:  I have not made this particular soup in a slow cooker or instant pot, I feel like when the chicken is already cooked, it's just as easy to use a pot on the stove! But you could easily throw first 8 ingredients in the instant pot for 10 minutes or so, then release pressure and add rotisserie chicken breast, lemon zest/juice and stir in pureed cauliflower. Finish with herbs.
  7. For slow cooker: I'd cook first 8 ingredients for a few hours till soft, then throw in the chicken etc after, and keep warm 'till dinner! 
  8. If you'd rather use raw chicken... reference this creamy tomato chicken soup recipe! Or this tortilla soup. And while you're at it, put them on the menu!

Nutrition

Serving: 400g | Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.8g | Protein: 32.5g | Fat: 3.4g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4.4g