Lemon Chicken and Chickpea Soup
Lemon chicken and chickpea soup is a brothy stovetop meal with cooked chicken, canned chickpeas, carrots, celery, and spinach. Add fresh lemon juice off the heat for a bright finish. There are no noodles or rice to soak up the broth as it sits.
Use one pound of fully cooked, skinless chicken breast, weighed after cooking. Plain rotisserie chicken works too, but taste before adding salt because it is often seasoned. The vegetables and chickpeas simmer first; the chicken only needs to heat through.
How to Make Lemon Chicken and Chickpea Soup
Cook the onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir now and then, until the onion softens. Add the garlic, oregano, and pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
Keep the heat at medium and stir if the vegetables begin to brown. Pour in the broth after the garlic has cooked briefly.
Simmer the Chickpeas and Warm the Chicken
Add the drained chickpeas to the broth. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until a carrot is tender when pierced with a fork.
Stir in the shredded chicken and spinach. Cook gently for about five more minutes, until the spinach wilts and the chicken is hot. Check the chicken in the soup with a food thermometer; it should reach 165°F.
Finish the Soup with Lemon
Take the pot off the heat and stir in three tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Taste the broth, then add salt only if it needs it. The soup should taste bright but still have a savory chicken broth.
If you want it a little thicker, mash a few chickpeas against the side of the pot and stir them back in. Leave most of them whole.
Serving and Storing Leftovers
Serve the soup warm, with some chicken, chickpeas, vegetables, and broth in each bowl.
For a different way to use chickpeas and lemon, try our Mediterranean tuna and chickpea salad; it is a cold, no-cook meal rather than another soup.
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them within two hours. Use refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days. Reheat it to 165°F. If the broth has thickened, add a little more while warming it.
If you want a creamier, noodle-filled bowl instead, see our white chicken lasagna soup with cottage cheese. It has a very different texture from this lighter chickpea soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes. Use one pound of cooked, skinless chicken breast weighed after the bones and skin are removed. Check the broth before adding salt because rotisserie chicken is already seasoned.
Can I make this soup in a slow cooker?
This recipe is written for the stovetop. Slow cookers heat differently, so these cooking times should not be transferred directly.
How can I make the broth a little thicker?
Mash a small spoonful of the cooked chickpeas against the side of the pot and stir them back into the broth. Leave most chickpeas whole so the soup keeps its texture.
How long do leftovers keep?
Refrigerate the soup promptly and use it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat until the soup and chicken reach 165°F.
Lemon Chicken and Chickpea Soup
Lemon chicken and chickpea soup pairs shredded chicken, tender chickpeas, spinach, and vegetables in a bright, brothy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 110 g)
- 2 medium carrots, diced (about 120 g)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (about 80 g)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 9 g)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, about 1.2 L
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 500 g total)
- 1 pound cooked skinless chicken breast, weighed after cooking, then shredded (454 g)
- 3 ounces baby spinach, about 85 g
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 45 g; add off heat
- fine salt, to taste, after adding lemon
Instructions
- Soften the vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring now and then, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and black pepper for 30 seconds.
- Simmer the broth and chickpeas
Pour in the broth and add the drained chickpeas. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Warm the chicken and spinach
Stir in the cooked chicken and spinach. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the spinach wilts and the chicken is heated through to 165°F.
- Finish with lemon
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste the broth and add fine salt only if needed. Ladle into six bowls.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Cool promptly, cover, and refrigerate within two hours. Use within 3 to 4 days. (4 days)
Reheating
- Stovetop: Warm gently until the soup and chicken reach 165°F. Add a little broth if the soup has thickened, then taste before adding more lemon. at 165°F
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