Healthy High-Protein Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe for Soup Night Soups High Protein Recipes Dinner Lunch Chicken Recipes Budget Recipes Gluten-free Grains

Lemony chicken soup is always a fan favorite here at 30Seconds. This lemony chicken and rice soup recipe is inspired by the Greek lemon soup called avgolemono. Avgolemono has egg, but this delicious soup is eggless. This flavorful high-protein chicken soup recipe is perfect for cold winter nights with a loaf of crusty bread. 

For this lemony chicken soup recipe you'll need boneless chicken thighs, bay leaves, olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, long-grain rice, lemons and fresh parsley. Simple, healthy ingredients, plus you get the health benefits of protein in every delicious bite.

Boneless chicken thighs are one of my favorite ingredients. Chicken thighs are more forgiving than breasts if they're overcooked or cooked for longer periods of time. Boneless thighs stay moist, and are less costly than chicken breasts.

Serve this gluten-free chicken soup for lunch or dinner.  While the soup simmers, cut up a fresh salad or try your hand at homemade dinner rolls.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, sliced
• 1 large zucchini or yellow squash, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 lemons, juiced
• chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put the chicken, bay leaves and water into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. (You could use boneless chicken breast for this recipe, but the boneless thighs are moister and more forgiving if overcooked.)
2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery, squash, garlic and thyme. Cook until they soften a bit, about 5 minutes. Put the vegetables into the pot with the broth. 
3. Shred and return the chicken to the pot. Add the rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
4. Add the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Fresh lemon juice is best for this recipe. In a pinch, you could use bottled lemon juice.) Garnish individual bowls with chopped fresh parsley. Serve. Store any leftover soup in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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