This Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup Recipe is a classic Julia Child recipe that you owe it to yourself to try. Elegant, healthy and light, this is a soup will carry your through Winter and into those cool Spring days. Simmering chicken breasts and thighs in chicken stock deepens the robust chicken flavor. And lemon and ginger brighten the flavors. You’ll love this recipe for it’s pure simplicity.
If you’re looking for a much lighter and healthier version of classic Chicken Noodle Soup, you’ve got to give this one a try.
Warming and comforting, this Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup Recipe delivers a rich chicken flavored broth scented with ginger, lemon and garlic. An easy chicken soup recipe that’s rewarding and healthy. This is one amazing bowl of soup.
And Chicken Soup with no noodles? Yes, it does exist. This soup is fresh in flavor and light in calories and one that will have you asking for seconds and thirds.
Most lemon chicken soup recipes include orzo or rice for a Greek flare. This recipe stays clean, fresh and super heathy using just chicken, spices and vegetables.
Let’s take a look.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Broth: Homemade is always preferred for maximum flavor, but store purchased will work well here.
- Mirepoix: Onion, celery and carrots
- Parsley
- Chicken: Both boneless skinless chicken breast and bone-in skin on thighs. The bones and skins will add a deep layer of flavor.
- Lemons: Slices and zest.
- Seasonings: Ginger, garlic and bay leaves.
Pro Tip: Freeze Ginger. Keep that knob of ginger in the freezer. Whenever you need a small amount for any recipe, just remove it and use a zester or microplane zester to acquire the amount you need and then return the rest back to the freezer for future use. You don’t even need to peel the ginger. EASY and practical.
How To Make Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup, It’s Easy!
- Step 1: Place chicken, 2 whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, fresh ginger, salt and pepper in a 6 quart Dutch oven.
- Step 2: Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce to low and simmer with lid slightly ajar for 45 minutes.
- Step 3: Make the Mirepoix. Mirepoix is a a classic French technique where chopped celery, onions and carrots are sauteed, then added to soups and sauces as an aromatic for a base layer of flavor. Practice your knife skills here and cut the vegetables as close to the same size as you can. Saute the veggies in neutral oil or olive oil at a low heat until just starting to become tender and sweet.
- Step 4: Shred the Chicken: Remove chicken from broth and once it’s cool enough to handle, shred chicken thigh meat from bones and discard the skin. Shred the chicken breast meat. Find the two cloves of garlic in the broth and using the back of a fork, smash them against the side of the Dutch Oven.
- Step 5: Remove the lemon slices to a plate. Add the sauteed vegetables, lemon zest and shredded chicken back into to cooking liquid. Add 2 cups water. Cover and reduce heat to medium, and simmer approximately 20 minutes.
Questions You May Have
No, that’s where the flavor comes from. Adding raw chicken to the broth intensifies the chicken flavor.
In this case, we’re going to cover the Dutch oven to simmer the soup. This will keep flavor at a maximum, and will keep the broth from evaporating. Resulting in a brothier soup.
Adding raw chicken to this recipe is what brings the flavor to the broth. If you want to use pre-cooked chicken, I would suggest a rotisserie chicken.
How To Serve It
Keep things light and healthy by serving this soup with a tossed salad. Take a look at this recipe for Baby Kale Salad or this beautiful Hearts of Palm Salad.
How To Season Soup For A Brighter Flavor
As I learned in Culinary School, any type of acid will brighten the flavors of any dish. An example is a splash of vinegar when making tomato based dishes. Vinegar will take the bite out of a too harsh tomato flavor.
For this soup, lemon zest acts as the acid to lift the flavors of the soup to brighter level.
Storing and Freezing
Once the soup has cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat simply use the microwave or stovetop.
This soup will also freeze well. Again, allow the soup to cool, then place in several airtight small containers for individual servings, or a large container. This soup will keep in the freezer for up to three months. To reheat, allow the soup to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then use microwave or stove top to reheat.
Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup Recipe
It’s perfect in every way. Delicately flavored broth with ginger, bay leaf and garlic. Carrot, celery, onions are brightened with lemon zest. Tender chicken that soaks up every bit of that flavor…and the rest is perfect and elegant history.
‘Tis the season to transition from thick comforting stews to lighter fresh soups. This chicken soup with lemon brings it on.
I hope you give this lemon chicken soup recipe a try. It’s a very special recipe.
More Chicken Soup Recipes
And if you’re soup fans like us, don’t miss my Soup Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular on my site for Anthony Bourdain’s recipe for New Mexico Chili. Hearty and robust, and full of Southwestern flair.
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Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 pound chicken thighs skin on, bone-in
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon ginger grated
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tablespoon neutral oil canola works good here. You can also use olive oil.
- 1 ½ cups onion chopped, about 1 large onion
- 2 cups celery chopped, about 4 – 5 stalks, plus leaves
- 2 cups carrots peeled and chopped, about 3 – 4 carrots
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 6 slices Lemon from one of the lemons you zested.
- 2 cups water
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest zest from 2 lemons
- salt & pepper
- Parsley or basil to garnish
Instructions
- Place chicken, 2 whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, sginger, salt and pepper, and chicken broth in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce to low and simmer with lid ajar for 45 minutes.
- Make the mirepoix: Chop all of the vegetables, zest two lemons, and slice one of the lemons that you used for zesting.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add onion, celery, carrot and lemon slices. Saute over medium heat for 5 – 6 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally.
- Remove chicken from broth and once it's cool enough for handling, shred chicken thigh meat from bones and discard skin. Shred the chicken breast meat. Find the two cloves of garlic in the broth and using the back of a fork, smash them against the side of the Dutch Oven.
- Add the sauteed vegetables, lemon zest and shredded chicken back into to cooking liquid. Add 2 cups water. Cover and reduce heat to medium, and simmer approximately 20 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust for seasonings (salt and pepper) and serve.
- Garnish with parsley and some of the sliced lemon.
Notes
Nutrition
Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
I had Lemon Ginger soup with cabbage added. I am going to use this recipe and add some to taste. Anyone else try this?
Hi Barbara, I’ve not tried it, but adding cabbage sounds great to me. I’m a fan of cabbage.
I prepared the Ginger Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe with variation befitting prep for and cooking in a stove top pressure cooker with excellent results. This is an easy recipe with excellent flavor. The only ingredient I added not in the recipe was mushrooms. I used my homemade chicken broth.
The combination of ginger root and lemon zest is fantastic and totally piqued all of the ingredients and added a complex subtle richness to the flavor of the broth.
This is by far one of the best online recipes ever; simple, real food without filler ingredients, easy steps and remarkable flavor.
I also appreciate the button moving directly to the recipe.
Hi Patricia: Thank you so much for that detailed review on the Ginger Lemon Chicken Soup.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave your thoughts.
Make it a delicious day.
Hi Lea Ann, love this light brothy soup with ginger and lemon, I bet this is delicious!
Yummy, Lea Ann – wish you lived next door and always invited me for dinner or lunch!
Now this recipe should be the new cure for the common cold! Love the ginger.
I love all things lemony and this soup with the added flavor of ginger sounds like a delicious recipe.
I absolutely LOVE this soup! The addition of ginger is brilliant!
HI Lea Ann, I’m on a soup making kick since New Year. This ginger/lemon combo sounds flavorful. I’ve been making variations of veggie soup, sometimes adding beef. We’re heading to Denver for the weekend. It’s our twin Grands 13 birthday. Happy Valentine Day to you!
You had me at ginger. We’re still in the midst of needing heavier, heartwarming soups but I’d finish off a few bowls of this in a heartbeat. It looks amazing.
It’s a great fresh and healthy soup. Loved this one.
This soup looks and sounds good. Thank you.
Thanks Liz!
That is MY kind of soup and would be perfect for all the cold weather we are having lately! Karen
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for Spring. And this soup is so fresh and light, it reminded me of a spring soup rather than winter.
Soup is so where it’s at right now. This looks great!
Thanks Abbe.
YUM, I love the idea of ginger and lemon flavoring this broth.
Me too! 🙂
So many great recipes to Pin this month! I want to have soup all week now.
I have had soup all week long! 🙂 This recipe made a big batch and I’m loving every bowl.
I just found frozen turkey in the freezer. I’m thinking of modifying your recipe just a tad.
I love these kind of light brothy soups, especially when I am slimming down! Looks great.
Me too, and this is a healthy one!
Doesn’t this look lovely! What a great choice for this month!
Thank you Amy!
Mmmm, soup! It’s snowing today, so that’s probably what we’ll have for dinner. This would be a wonderful choice — such nice flavors. Thanks!
Thanks John! Always good to hear from you.
Great combination…lemon and ginger! Your soup is beautiful…and the flavors sound perfect.
Thank you Kate!
Lemon and ginger in a soup – sounds like a match made in heaven. I could use a bowl right now in our unusually cool weather.
Sam
It is a match made in heaven! Loved every spoon full of this one.