Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe: A great way to warm your belly on cool autumn evenings! A light and healthy recipe with bold Greek flavors.
Why We Love Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Today’s Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe is a soup recipe that my family absolutely loves. This Greek Chicken Soup is cozy, healthy, and loaded with Greek flavors like garlic, earthy olive oil, and feta cheese. The little orbs of pearl couscous and morsels of cheese swirl to the surface with every spoonful. A sight that lifts the spirit and warms the belly.
This is the kind of chicken soup recipe I make for my kids when they come home, worn from a long day at school. Sometimes their stories are filled with joy and excitement. Some days they are teary recollections of insecurity and defeat.
I always remind them that this day was just a tiny step on a long journey. It is important to keep taking those steps forward, no matter how hard it seems. Good things are ahead if you don’t give up. Then I give them a warm bowl of chicken soup.
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken Broth – or chicken bouillon. If using low-sodium broth, you might need to add a little extra salt!
- Olive Oil – to sauté the veggies and chicken
- Garlic – freshly minced
- Onion – in small strips
- Lemon Zest – this adds loads of lemony flavor! Serve the soup with the slices of lemon.
- Chicken – chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well
- Pearl Couscous – also known as Israeli couscous, it is larger than regular couscous
- Crushed Red Pepper – for a hint of spice
- Crumbled Feta – for a tangy, savory flavor
- Chives – as garnish, if desired
- Salt & Pepper – to taste
How to Make Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
This recipe is pretty straightforward and simple to make so enjoy!
Sauté the onion and minced garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Pour in the chicken broth, and add raw chicken breasts, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper to the pot. Raise the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the couscous, salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off.
Remove the two chicken breasts from the pot and shred the chicken. Then place the shredded chicken back in the pot. Stir in the crumbled feta cheese and chopped chives.
Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
Tips & Tricks
- You can replace the couscous with long-grain white rice, orzo pasta, or acini di pepe pasta balls! Each one will have a different cooking time though, so adjust as needed. If adding rice, you might need more liquid! Rice will lend a more creamy texture!
- Garnish with fresh herbs like chopped chives, or fresh dill or parsley!
- Add additional vegetables! You can add diced carrots and celery for a more traditional chicken noodle soup, with the Greek twist of lemon and feta!
- Use rotisserie chicken for ease! You can skip cooking the chicken and simply add shredded rotisserie chicken if you prefer.
Get the Full (Printable) Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe + Video Below!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead?Absolutely! If you have leftover chicken on hand, you can definitely make this Greek chicken soup recipe with shredded rotisserie chicken or any chicken you have.
Can I make this soup vegetarian?To make vegetarian greek lemon soup, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth!
Is this soup gluten-free?No! Couscous is not gluten-free. If you want to make a gluten free Greek lemon chicken soup recipe, simply omit the couscous or add a gluten free alternative like rice, quinoa, or gluten-free orzo pasta.
What goes good with lemony chicken soup?Dish your lemony chicken soup up on its own or serve it with breadsticks and a Greek salad!
How should I store Greek lemon chicken soup?To store any leftovers, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the fridge! To freeze, place the cooled soup in a zip bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and warm up in a sauce pan on the stovetop before serving! Or, simply reheat in the microwave!
Looking for More Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe + Video
Video
Ingredients
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 large lemon, zested
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup Israeli couscous (pearl)
- 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 2 ounces crumbled feta
- 1/3 cup chopped chive
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the olive oil in a large 6-8 quart sauce pot over medium-low heat. Peel the onion. Then quarter it and slice into thin strips. Once the oil is hot, saute the onion and minced garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.
- Add the chicken broth, raw chicken breasts, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper to the pot. Raise the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the couscous, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off.
- Using tongs, remove the two chicken breasts from the pot. Use a fork and the tongs to shred the chicken. Then place it back in the pot. Stir in the crumbled feta cheese and chopped chive. Taste and salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.
Sorry to be dense, but should the chicken be cooked prior to going in the dish?
I was wondering this too… Was planning on making this today
My first thought was the chicken cooks in the broth, but then when I read it the directions again, it looks like its only in there for 10 minutes. I’m not sure now. I’m making it tonight also.
I’ve never tried this recipe, but I’m Greek and I love chicken soup: don’t get boneless, skinless breasts. If a whole chicken is too much, get chicken thighs, complete with fat, bones and skin. Boil them and then boil the couscous (or rice, which is what we use in Greece) in the same water. And skip the chicken stock.
There’s absolutely no reason to use artificial chicken stock in a recipe like this one.
I cooked this tonight! The chicken goes in the dish while the broth is heating up to a boil as well, so that 10 minutes gets extended quite a bit! Chicken was wonderful!
I used rotisserie chicken and it was delicious. The feta and pepper flakes were wonderful.
Hi Ladies! Sorry for the confusion. The chicken is in the hot broth while it comes to a boil (usually several minutes) plus at least another 10 minutes of simmering following, so it will cook through in the broth. No need to cook before hand. :)
I was wondering the same thing
I love soup! I have a poster in my office that says, “National Soup Month – January,” but every month is soup month in our house. We have a Greek restaurant in town and it’s not a complete meal unless I get the chicken lemon soup, so I was very excited to see this recipe. It was so delicious, my wife said it must be added to the regular rotation!
I did this today, its delicious and suprisingly fullfilling
Hi Lucero, So glad to hear it!!
So healthy and tasty. Love this soup!
I love hearing about the kids – and with you and your perseverance to teach them everything in your repertoire, I have no doubt they will be stellar individuals. And this soup – I’m loving soup season!!
these yellow and green made my week-end, this chicken with lemon soup seems delicious
Yum! I made a spring vegetable soup kind of like this once, it was lemon and chicken. Which is an awesome combo! The feta over the top sounds awesome!
This soup reminds me of my childhood—my mom would bring home recipes from our Greek neighbors down the street. I remember thinking that lemon soup sounded just horrible. Now I’m dying to make it! Love your parenting style—it’s certain to help lift your children to be the best they can be!
Such a great post Sommer and I can relate to it in a lot of ways. Ironically, as a child, I prayed to be average. I was over weight, under athletic, unpopular – you name it. I was the ugly duckling that couldn’t rely on her looks and had no friends but I know now that God had a plan and my childhood helped shape the adult I am today. Love this and Love this lemony soup!! We always order avgolemono in Greek restaurants!
The addition of lemon and feta sounds perfect!
I actually have all the ingredients (for once), so this is definitely on my weekend list!
This looks so comforting and I love that it’s a spin on the classic chicken soup! It looks so good!!
I made this soup this weekend and it was fantastic and very simple to make. It was the perfect comfort food. I also made eggplant sandwiches with a tapenade. My say the family loved the food.