This Lemon Rice Soup is healthy and full of bright, fresh flavors. It’s packed with soft and creamy Arborio rice, tender chicken, egg, lemon, and more!
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter – used to cook the veggies and add warm flavor depth.
- Onion, Carrot, and Celery – the classic veggie blend used in many soups to add flavor and texture.
- Minced Garlic – provides a subtle nuttiness.
- Salt, Pepper, Dried Oregano, and Dried Parsley – a simple, earthy, and fresh seasoning blend to add a delicious layer of flavor to the soup.
- Arborio Rice – adds an almost creamy, chewy texture to the soup.
- Chicken Broth – a flavorful base for the soup.
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest – the bright, lemon flavors help balance out the saltier, more savory flavors of the other ingredients.
- Eggs – tempered with lemon juice and a portion of the broth so it mixes easily into the soup.
- Chicken – I use already cooked and cubed rotisserie
- Chopped Dill – optional, for garnish.
- Crumbled Feta – for serving if desired. I love the added flavor from a generous sprinkle of feta cheese.
How to make
I love how easy this lemon rice soup is to make! It takes just 15 minutes to prep and it’s ready in under an hour!
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large stockpot then add in onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and parsley. Sauté until the carrots are tender.
- Stir in rice then toast for 1 minute.
- Add in chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Stir occasionally.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together lemon juice and egg.
- Spoon a ladleful or two of the hot soup broth into the egg mixture and stir to temper the eggs.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup, stirring the whole time then stir in cooked chicken and lemon zest. Let stand to thicken then serve with dill and feta and enjoy!
What rice to use
I like to use Arborio rice for this recipe. It’s higher starch content gives the soup a creamier texture.
You can also use jasmine rice, brown rice, white rice, etc. If you’re using another rice, keep in mind the cook time may change slightly!
Do you rinse the rice?
Nope! If you rinse the rice, you’ll wash away some of the starch which actually helps make the soup creamier.
Do you cook rice before adding it to soup?
Nope! The rice cooks directly in the soup. However, you will toast the uncooked rice grains slightly before adding the broth and cooking the rice.
Although this step isn’t totally necessary, the toasted rice grains have more flavor and depth than un-toasted so they stand out better in the soup.
What to serve with lemon rice soup
Lemon rice soup is a classic Greek dish so I love to serve it up with some of my other Greek favorites!
- Pita Bread and Hummus
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken
- Greek Kebabs
How to store
Store leftover lemon rice soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen then microwave or warm on the stove.
– Jennifer
Lemon Rice Soup
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ cups uncooked Arborio rice
- 2 (32 oz) cartons chicken broth
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 large eggs
- 4 cups cooked and cubed chicken about 1 store-bought rotisserie (1 pound)
- 2 lemons zested
- Chopped dill optional for garnish
- Crumbled feta for serving - don’t be shy, this takes the soup to the next level
Recipe Video
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large stockpot.
- Once melted, add in onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley and sauté until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in rice and toast for 1 minute.
- Add in chicken broth, scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom, then set heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked to your liking. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the lemon juice and eggs together.
- Spoon a ladleful or two of the hot soup broth to the egg mixture and stir to temper (gradually heat up) the eggs.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup, stirring the whole time.
- Stir in the cooked chicken and lemon zest.
- Taste and re-season, if necessary, then let stand to thicken, if desired.
- Ladle into bowls and top with (optional) dill and a generous amount of crumbled feta and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
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Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy