Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup
You won’t miss the noodles in this wholesome, satisfying Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup! It’s packed with tender chicken breast, chunky veggies, baby spinach and the brightness of fresh lemon juice to make the flavors come alive. It’s dairy and gluten-free, low carb and great for meal prep!
Soup is one of the most perfect meals any time of year, because everything you need is in one bowl.
I love prepping a batch of winter minestrone and Italian sausage kale soup to have on hand for lunch or dinner during the winter months. They’re both so hearty and satisfying!
This Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup has become a new favorite. It’s such a healthy way to kick off the new year as it’s high in protein, packed with veggies, and low in carbohydrates.
I adore the fresh lemon flavor in my Greek avgolemono soup so much that it prompted me to add some here. It truly makes the flavors shine and makes this soup extra special.
This recipe is soul warming, wholesome and just what we need to start the year off right. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- This chicken and vegetable soup is wholesome and hearty with tender chicken breast, chunky veggies, baby spinach and the brightness of lemon.
- It’s a healthy recipe that’s high in protein and packed with veggies.
- It’s so easy to make and it’s great for meal prep.
- It’s dairy and gluten-free, and is low in carbohydrates.
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Chicken breast. Simply season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and add it right to the pot to cook in the chicken stock and shred once it’s cooked through. Sub with boneless skinless chicken thighs if desired.
- Veggies. This chicken veggie soup includes vegetables that are basic pantry staples — onion, carrots, celery and garlic. You can add your favorite seasonal veggies including leeks, cabbage, zucchini, green beans, bell pepper, chopped tomato, cubed butternut squash, or cauliflower or broccoli florets. See my collection of soup recipes for more information on how to customize your soup!
- Greens. Sub the baby spinach with your favorite greens, such as arugula, Swiss chard or kale. If using kale, be sure to cook it in the soup for about 5 minutes until wilted.
- Chicken stock. Homemade chicken stock will make your soup next level, but you can certainly use your favorite store bought brand.
- Herbs and bay leaf. Fresh herbs go a long way to making soup so much more flavorful. Sub a sprig of fresh herbs with 1 teaspoon dried. Dried bay leaf is also a great way to add flavor.
- Lemon. Fresh lemon juice brightens all the flavors in this soup and makes it really special!
How to make chicken and vegetable soup
This chicken vegetable soup recipe requires a few minutes of prep as far as chopping the veggies. Once that’s done, the recipe goes very quickly.
Pro tip: Make this recipe go even more quickly by prepping your vegetables a day or two in advance.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Sauté the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the chicken stock, chicken breast, and herbs and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it or cut it, then add it back to the pot and stir in the baby spinach, lemon juice and adjust the seasoning as needed.
FAQs
Using homemade chicken stock is one of the best ways to give chicken soup a ton of flavor. Aromatics such as onion, celery, carrots and garlic, along with fresh herbs and bay leaf, are essential for great soup as well.
The secret ingredient to this chicken vegetable soup is fresh lemon juice, which adds brightness and makes all the flavors pop.
Yes! You can choose to brown the vegetables on the stove top before placing them in the slow cooker for added flavor, or simply dump everything in the slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.
You can prep the veggies for this soup 1-2 days in advance or make the entire batch ahead of time. Chicken veggie soup is great for meal prep as it keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Serving suggestions
There are so many great ways to serve this chicken vegetable soup! See some of my favorites below.
- Change things up by topping with a bit of shredded parmesan or stir in some basil pesto sauce.
- Serve with a slice of rosemary focaccia bread or beer bread. Honey cornbread muffins and sweet potato biscuits are great for dunking as well!
- Round out the meal with tricolore salad or butter lettuce salad.
- Add even more veggies to your meal with a side of air fryer broccoli or roasted asparagus.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Make this recipe go even more quickly by prepping your vegetables a day or two in advance.
- Sub the chicken breast with boneless skinless chicken thighs if you desire.
- Customize this soup with your favorite seasonal veggies such as green beans, zucchini, chopped tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower and butternut squash!
- The spinach may be substituted with your favorite greens such as kale, arugula or Swiss chard.
- Store chicken vegetable soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More soup recipes you’ll love:
- Asparagus soup
- Autumn vegetable soup
- Broccoli cheese soup by Cookie + Kate
- Butternut squash soup
- Chicken stew
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Escarole and bean soup
- Roasted butternut squash soup
- Roasted pumpkin soup
- Summer squash soup
- White bean kale soup
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 – 1.5 lbs. total; seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2.5 ounces baby spinach about 3 cups
- 1 lemon juiced
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the chicken stock, chicken breasts, herbs and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 2 stalks celery, 2 large carrots, 3 cloves garlic, 8 cups chicken broth, 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig thyme
- Remove the pot from heat and transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Shred or cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and place back in the pot. Add the spinach, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy!2.5 ounces baby spinach, 1 lemon
Notes
- Pro tip: Make this recipe go even more quickly by prepping your vegetables a day or two in advance.
- Sub the chicken breast with boneless skinless chicken thighs if you desire.
- Customize this soup with your favorite seasonal veggies such as green beans, zucchini, chopped tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower and butternut squash!
- The spinach may be substituted with your favorite greens such as kale, arugula or Swiss chard.
- Store chicken vegetable soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
