This Lemon Chicken Soup with rice and spinach is light, easy, healthy, and comforting. It will be your go-to dinner recipe on cold days!
Looking for a healthy, wholesome, delicious dinner recipe? Look no further than this chicken lemon rice soup! It’s loaded with chicken, brown rice, spinach, carrots, and rice. The savory tart flavor is irresistible, and it’s perfect for dunking crusty bread!
This lemon chicken soup with rice is one dinner our whole family likes. I’m not crazy about lemon desserts, but I love me some savory lemon dishes. This one is probably my favorite. It is so simple and easy, perfect for cold days or for when you are feeling under the weather. It pairs great with red wine and crusty bread for dipping. Even my picky kids both love this soup!
I’ve been making this recipe for years, long before The Weary Chef was born. It is always one of my go-to dinners! It’s a great soup to make with rotisserie chicken, or you can cook chicken breasts just for this dish. It is just as good leftover, but you might want to keep some extra spinach on hand. I like to add some extra fresh spinach to mine when I reheat it just to brighten up the color and add even more wholesome goodness.
If you’re looking for a good soup pot, I recommend an enameled cast iron pot like the one shown here. I have a gorgeous Le Creuset pot that was a gift, but if you are on a budget, Lodge makes a less expensive version that I know you’ll love too. They both come in a variety of colors to suit your tastes. You can click these images for more details. (FYI: If you make a purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Le Creuset Shallow Dutch Oven
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
This warm, lemon chicken soup is perfect for a cold night or to nurse a cold.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 medium carrots sliced thin
- 1/2 sweet onion diced
- 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup instant brown rice (see note)
- 6 ounces baby spinach roughly chopped
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt to taste
- Sriracha sauce optional
Instructions
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Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and chicken. Saute for about 5 minutes.
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Stir in garlic, and cook for one more minute. Pour in broth and water. Squeeze 1 1/2 lemons into broth. Bring to a low boil.
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Stir in rice, and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Cover pot, and reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes longer, until rice is as soft as you’d like.
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Remove lid, and stir in spinach. Simmer until spinach is wilted, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Serve with additional lemon wedges and sriracha sauce if desired.
Notes
If you would prefer to use non-instant rice, reduce the amount to 3/4 cup Simmer rice for the amount of time called for on the package (typically 20 minutes for white rice or 40 minutes for brown rice).
Adapted from Lemon Chicken Soup II by Marlee at AllRecipes.com
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Soup
If you like this recipe, you’ll LOVE these!
(This recipe was originally published in January 2013.)
Alice S. says
I was googling for chicken soup with spinach right now. This recipe looks fabulous and the picture of it, mmmmmmm. Thank you.
Nova says
We are glad to hear that you bumped into our page and want to try our Chicken Lemon Rice Soup recipe. Rest assured that you and your family will surely love this chicken-lemon rice soup, especially if you cook it for them. Ingredients are the second-most important aspect of cooking; it is love that makes the recipe more delectable, and the taste will be unforgettable. So cook with love.
Jennifer says
This is terrifically simple, and it was a hit with my kiddos who declared they liked lemons in their soup (a first, I assure you). I made it your original way and then a second time using chicken thighs I had in the freezer, sautéing them till brown then using this as the base for the broth. Cooked the carrots, then I had cooked rice in the fridge so added this at the end instead of cooking the rice in the broth. This works, too!
Andi says
This is one of my kids’ favorites too, which is saying a lot because they are so picky! Thanks for sharing all your ideas because they will help others who come check out the recipe too. Talk to you soon!
Winnie says
This looks delicious! I make lemon/egg chicken soup and love. I am looking forward to trying this one. Such a nice blog. I found you on Blogher this morning, glad I popped over.
The Weary Chef says
Thank you, Winnie! I really appreciate your kind words. Can you tell me more about your lemon and egg soup? It sounds really interesting!