Chicken and Rice Soup with Lemon

Today is my second day home with sick kiddos. They’ve been sick with the flu, but I’m happy to report they are starting to feel better! I made this soup for lunch today in hopes  it would aid in the “feel better” efforts and both boys enjoyed it. My husband (the real chef) first introduced me to chicken soup with lemon, which at first I thought was a weird combination. Lemon in soup?? That is, until I tried it. I was wrong, he was right (I don’t say this often), and the soup was darn good. So when I asked him this morning for some details on how he made it, he couldn’t remember (go figure), but he could tell me that it was lemon juice (vs. lemon zest). So I made a traditional chicken and rice soup and added lemon juice. It was perfect. So flavorful! The acidity of the lemon is a perfect contrast to the salty/savory chicken broth. This recipe makes a big ole pot… I plan to freeze some of it for later. Hope you enjoy!

Chicken and Rice Soup with Lemon

3 cups shredded chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 sweet onions, chopped
4 carrots, diced
5 stalks of celery, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
8 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup white rice (I used jasmine)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1.) In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over high heat and add onions, carrots and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add chicken and garlic and sauté for a minute longer.
2.) Add chicken stock, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then add rice.  Stir well then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
3.) In the last 2 or 3 minutes of simmering, stir in fresh parsley. Re-cover and finish cooking.

I only had to use 1 lemon because it was a gigantic lemon I got from my grandparent’s tree in Florida.