My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup
There is nothing like chicken soup to warm the soul, and this homemade lemony chicken and rice soup is one of the best I’ve ever made! Made with short grain rice, vegetables and herbs, and lots of lemon juice, this soup is both cozy and bright! You need about 40 minutes to make it using cooked shredded chicken and a flavourful chicken broth.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Hungry Paprikas.
Growing up, my mom always made us chicken and rice soup, way more than she did “chicken and noodle”. My favourite thing she did when making this soup is to soak short grain rice for 15 minutes or so, which softens it slightly. Then she would rub the grains in between her hands to break them up. This results in a creamier soup texture which I absolutely love.
This is the exact technique I use in this recipe too. The rice is cooked with onions, carrots, celery and lots of dried herbs. I usually make this soup when I have leftover cooked shredded chicken and some homemade broth. But you can easily make it using store bought rotisserie chicken and bouillon cubes.
Now I love big lemon flavours in my soups, so I add a lot of lemon towards the end of the cooking process. You can adjust this to your preference. Keep in mind that lemon juice will also impact how salty the soup tastes – so always add your lemon at the end, then adjust the salt to your preference.
How To Make Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup
First, gather your ingredients. The dried herbs I love to use are basil and thyme, but feel free to use any dried herbs that you like (oregano, rosemary, dill, or chives to name a few).
Start by soaking the rice for 15 minutes. Then, in a medium sized soup pot, start by softening the onions, then adding the carrots, celery, dried herbs and spices. Cook everything for 6 to 7 minutes, then add the drained rice and toast it slightly.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the shredded chicken and continue to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Finally, add the lemon juice, stir to combine, then taste and adjust for more salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Dig in!
Storage Suggestions
Leftovers are freezer friendly, since the rice consistency in the soup is meant to be creamy. I ladle the soup into freezer bags, then close it and freeze it in a flat layer which makes defrosting a lot easier. Freeze for 2-3 months then warm it up on the stovetop.
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 small celery sticks, diced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, more per preference
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more per preference
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, or oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves, optional
- 1/2 cup short grain rice, washed and soaked for 15 minutes
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice for 10 to 15 minutes to soften it. After soaking, you can rub it with your hand a bit to break it down. This is optional but I like when the rice is smaller.
- Start by placing a medium sized soup pot on medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the finely diced onions and cook until softened, for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the diced carrots and celery and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add all of the dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the short grain rice, stir to toast it a bit, then add the bay leaves and the chicken broth. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the consistency of the soup and adjust to your preference by adding more broth/water or allowing it to simmer uncovered to thicken. Add the shredded chicken to the pot, stir and simmer for a further 5 to 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice, then taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and more lemon juice if desired.
Notes
- You don’t have to rub the rice to break it down, this is something I like because I don’t like the grains to be too big. Try it out and see how you like it!
- It’s important to use good quality chicken broth for great flavour. However if you don’t have any, you can use 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in 8 cups of water.
- Note that when adding lots of lemon juice to soup, it actually impacts how visible the salt flavour is. It makes it taste less salty. So ensure you adjust after you add lemon juice at the very last step.
This recipe sounds lovely but does it really have 1593mg of salt per serving?
Hi Karen! That’s likely coming up due to the 8 cups of chicken broth, so this highly depends on the broth you buy. I would stick to low sodium if you’re purchasing it, or make it at home for even less salt (that’s what I do!). I just updated it to a different broth and it is coming up a bit less now. Thanks for the question 🙂
This was so good. The lemon addition is such a game changer. And short grain rice – amazing too! Love this & will make again!
I just want to say how life changing this soup is. I was sick of cooking every night so I made this recipe it is so quick and easy I used pre shredded chicken and low sodium better than chicken boullion with 8 cups water. I add an extra carrot and extra chicken. As well as a few more seasonings. It’s so affordable and easy to make. It makes us feel great eating something healthy and has saved our wallet and our waistlines. Thank you for an absolutely beautiful recipe we have made it 4 times in a month.