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
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.
I love it. I make it frequently. The flavor of the broth is excellent. It’s easy too. It even works with using frozen chicken breasts.
Homey & tasty. The couscous is such a good addition. I addedbsome vegetables as well.
How long can the Greek Lemon Chicken Soup be stored, and what are the recommended methods for reheating it?
Made this tonight after coming down with a nasty cough. This is simple, delicious, and exactly what the doctor ordered. It also took very little effort. Thank you for sharing such a lovely recipe!
This has been my favourite soup for years. Very delicate and so pretty.
Only change I make is adding juice of a lemon as well as some spinach for added nutrients. Soo good and quick to make
This soup is Dee-licious!! We make it often. I love the Israeli couscous and the lemon! You must make this soup!
A lovely refreshing greek national dish and recipe. I couldn’t get hold of chives so I used curly parsley as an alternative. Probably not so Greek but it worked.
This soup sounds and looks delicious . If I wanted to sub something for the couscous what would you suggest ??? Thank you .
Hi Sandi,
You can use any sort of small pasta in this recipe.
Decided to try this soup because i had most ingredients on hand and wanted to use up some leftovers. I substituted 3 tbs lemon juice for the lemon zest, 2 tbs dried chives for fresh, half a bag of egg noodles instead of the couscous and used diced up turkey breast from Thanksgiving in place of the chicken. I followed the recipe for the broth and added my substitutions and it came out AMAZING!!! Thank you for this recipe! The substitutions worked perfectly with the flavors and I will definitely be making it again with the proper ingredients!
I Absolutely Love this soup! Thank you so much for the Recipe! It’s my new favorite!!
It’s my new favorite chicken soup! More tasty than I had imagined! Yes, I added the juice, but otherwise made as written, which isn’t like me. Could I substitute rice for couscous (I’m out)? Would I cook it separately or partially(aldente) before adding to the broth, so it won’t soak up too much broth or add a lesser amount? Thanks!
I’ve made this soup maybe 5 times in the past 2 weeks since I had a cold! It was so soothing and now, even though my cold is gone, I’m eating it this second! It’s amazing. This recipe will be in the rotation for the rest of my life.We’ve used rotisserie chicken for convenience. Also, add a squeeze of lemon juice in your bowl before eating for extra lemon flavor!