Chicken Lemon Rice Soup

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

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This warm, lemon chicken soup is perfect for a cold night or to nurse a cold.

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

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• 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

 

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Instructions

1. Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and chicken. Saute for about 5 minutes.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Remove lid, and stir in spinach. Simmer until spinach is wilted, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. 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

• Author: Andi
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 20
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Soup

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(This recipe was originally published in January 2013.)