If you love chicken soup, you have to try Lemon Chicken Soup. It’s chicken soup with a rich, yummy twist. This recipe comes from my dear friend Barbara, who is a fabulous cook. Barbara has the best sense of humor, is an amazing mom, raised UNBELIEVABLY talented children, is a spiritual giant, and has great style. And best of all, makes everyone feel loved. I have been wanting to try this soup forever, and finally did yesterday. It was SO good. I made it for a teacher luncheon at Bountiful High, and then made another batch for our family. Everyone in the family ate it up and loved it. Even the picky eaters!
Lemon chicken soup is comfort food all the way. I love the egg noodles and big pieces of chicken in this zesty, flavorful soup. The lemon flavor gives it an extra something that you don’t want to miss. I feel like lemon makes everything better. If this soup wasn’t already delicious on it’s own, the cream you add in at the end will take it to the next level. This soup can be made in under an hour and feeds 6-8 people. If you like soup leftovers, then you might want to double the recipe.
Lemon Chicken Soup travels well and is perfect for delivering to friends or family that need a little pick-me-up. My trick for transporting a slow cooker or large pot of soup without spilling is to place Saran wrap over the top of the pot or insert while the soup is hot. This will create a suction around the edge of the container. Then place the lid on top. The heat from the soup will create a seal around the edge and the lid will hold the plastic wrap in place. Also, do you know that chicken noodle soup is an anti-inflammatory? That means you basically have to eat this when you’re sick. Or well. Or anywhere in-between 🙂 If you love lemon and chicken together, try ABK’s Easy Lemon Chicken Dinner, or Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs with Soda Pop Marinade for dinner soon!
Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 12 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed is best
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 8-10 oz egg noodle pasta, I like “Country Pasta” brand
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 2 cups boneless, skinless chicken, about 2 breast halves
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms, optional
- 1 sliced lemon, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- In small saucepan, combine 1 cup chicken broth, lemon juice and butter. Bring to boil, and let reduce to about 1/2 cup, takes about 1/2 hour to 45 mins. After reduced, take off heat, stir in cream and set aside.
- While the mixture is reducing, place chicken in a large pot with poultry seasoning and 2 cups chicken broth. Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked, about 6 minutes.
- When chicken is cooked, remove chicken from pot, cut into small pieces and set aside. Add onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms to pot. Add remaining 9 cups broth to large pot and bring to boil. When broth is boiling, add pasta. Cook according to package directions, about 13 minutes for Country Style pasta.
- Blend flour and water in a small bowl, and whisk into soup. Bring to boil once again, then reduce heat to low. Add cream mixture, chopped chicken and additional salt and pepper to taste. Heat through, but don’t boil.
Notes
- Barb’s note: Country Pasta is sold at Dicks, Costco, Smiths. Serves 6 hungry people or 8 polite people.
- Si’s note: I used 1/2 pint of cream and 1/2 pint of half and half.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!
Shurelle Oakes
This is my family’s all time favorite soup. Sweet Barbara brought it to me after I had my Josh almost 17 years ago! I remember licking the bowl clean. There’s just something addictive about cream and lemon!
Sonya
This is my favorite winter soup. It’s so fresh tasting. Comfort food at its best. I Make double and share with my daughters family cause they love it too. This is a winner!!
Lisa H
This soup is really good. My son was sick recently and I served this to him. He loved it and it’s all he wanted until he felt better. The rest of us loved it too!
Lauren Holt
My favorite soup EVER! Everyone I’ve made it for, is obsessed with it. We keep an extra stash frozen and it heats up really well! Served it with Harmon’s breadsticks and it’s the perfect meal.
Ally k hunter
Perfect type of soup for a cold day! Serve with warm bread and you will not regret it!!!
This was my second time making the soup and I must say I learned from my mistakes the first time! If you do the recipe exactly as it says, it turns out perfect! I started out by making the lemon butter concentrate with chicken stock and let that reduce down for about 45 minutes while I cooked the rest of the soup. Cooking the chicken was very easy and I recommend putting a lid on your pot to really get the steam flowing and keep your chicken juicy. Chopping is minimal and you’re only cutting up the chicken once it’s cooked, carrots, celery, and onion. I used a white onion and baby carrots. I then added all the vegetables and majority of the chicken stock to the pot and let that come to a boil (I saved about a half a cup of chicken stock to thin it out in case it was too creamy). Once it had come to a boil, I then added my flour (Kamut flour) and water slurry! After that I added the remaining ingredients: chicken, lemon butter concentrate, cream, and then salt and pepper to taste. I ended up doubling this recipe which fed seven hungry adults and three small children. We had almost an entire pot left over it made so much! I highly highly highly recommend using the egg noodles from country pasta! They make or break this dish! I ended up using the wide pasta this time and it was so good! We served the soup with homemade artisan bread bowls and they were so so so so good! The lemon is a surprising flavor but extremely refreshing! I ended up not garnishing with a sliver of lemon but I have to agree with Si, fresh lemon is always better!!
Si Foster
Ally,
Thank you so much for your detailed review! I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback. I agree this is one of my favorite soups on ABK, the fresh lemon flavor is unusual in soup!
Thanks for reading ABK,
xo
Si
Angela Delamare
This is the perfect blend of heartwarming chicken noodle soup and a fresh lemon taste my whole family (including 4 kids under the age of 8) gobbled it up!
Melinda Christensen
This is probably my all-time favorite soup! I didn’t know if I’d like the lemon, but it’s sooo good. (Definitely use fresh lemon juice like the recipe says.) I took it to a bridal shower and the crock pot was scraped clean!
Si Foster
The fresh lemon juice makes such a difference! Thanks for your comment, Melinda, and thanks for reading ABK,
xo
Si
Nancy
My family loved this soup, even my picky eaters!! The only thing I changed was add coconut milk from a can instead of the cream, I didn’t have any on hand. This will be out new go to chicken noodle soup!!
Thank you, beautiful Si for sharing such awesome recipes! I come to your website often. I follow you on Instagram and on favoreats app.
Si Foster
You’re very welcome, Nancy. Great idea to use coconut milk as a substitute! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes, I love making easy and simple meals everyone can enjoy. Thank you for sharing and for reading ABK,
xo
Si
Caroline
My family and I just tried this soup and it was delicious! Even my picky eater loved it. I made it exactly according to the directions and it turned out perfectly.
Si Foster
Hi Caroline, it’s hard not to please anyone with this soup. It’s so simple and flavorful. I’m glad you and your family enjoyed it and thanks for sharing!
xo
Si
Amber
This is my favorite! The perfect comfort soup to take to someone.
Tiffany
I made this for my sick kiddos and me tonight and it is FABULOUS!
I used half cream and half half and half.
Served it with a loaf of French bread, and it fed all 6 of us with enough left over for a whole meal. Love this recipe! Thank you!
abountifulkitchen
Tiffany,
I’m glad you loved this soup! I bet it was delicious with cream and half and half. Hope the kids recover quickly!
xo
Si
Melanie
This is my absolute favorite soup. I could eat it all day long. I made it yesterday and the cream (i used all half & half) separated in little clumps. Why did it do that? I also would say that it serves more like 12 people. I always have a ton leftover, and I get to eat it for days.