Best Lemon Soup Recipes

LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water until partially cooked through but not yet soft, about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water until cooled completely.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir carrots, celery, and onion in hot oil until the vegetables begin to soften and the onion becomes translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Season mixture with thyme, oregano, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf; continue cooking another 30 seconds before pouring chicken broth into the pot.
• Bring the broth to a boil. Partially cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir orzo, lemon juice, and lemon zest into the broth; add chicken. Cook until the chicken and orzo are heated through, about 5 minutes. Add baby spinach; cook until the spinach wilts into the broth and the orzo is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP AKA AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chicken breasts and then lower to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to a bowl. Once cooled, shred the chicken and reserve.
• Add the orzo or rice to the pot with the chicken stock and cook until al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and most of the lemon juice, reserving some to add later as needed. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Once combined, ladle in some hot stock to temper the egg mixture, whisking constantly and adding the hot liquid slowly. Very slowly, add the warm whipped egg/lemon mixture into the pot, whisking constantly to prevent any curds or clumps from forming. Continue to cook over medium-low to medium heat, whisking, until the soup thickens, about 10 minutes more.
• Add the shredded chicken and any reserved juices to the soup. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and add additional lemon juice if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley.

HARIRA (SPICED MOROCCAN VEGETABLE SOUP WITH CHICKPEAS, CILANTRO, AND LEMON)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until the onion turns translucent and begin to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, harissa or chile flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup each of the parsley and cilantro, tomatoes, and the stock or water and bring to a boil. If using the soaked chickpeas, drain them and add to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, then add the lentils, another teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper and continue simmering until the chickpeas and lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes more. If using canned chickpeas omit the first 25 minutes of simmering and add with the lentils.
• Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice into 2 cups (470 ml) of water. Stir into the soup. Simmer the soup about 5 minutes more and serve, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro and parsley. And don't forget to have some extra harissa in a plate on the side.

CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER AND LEMON

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, carrots, onions, celery, soup base, and white pepper. Bring to a boil on high, then simmer for 20 minutes.
• Blend the butter and the flour together. Then gradually add it to the soup mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until light in color. Gradually add some of the hot soup to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Return the egg mixture to the soup pot and heat through. Add the rice and chicken. Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with lemon slices.

RED LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
• Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
• Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
• Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

LEMON GINGER CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, ginger and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until onions are softened, stirring constantly.
• Add broth and chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add noodles. Cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir in lemon juice, parsley and peas, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SOUPA AVGOLEMONO (EGG-LEMON SOUP)

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in saucepan, and add rice or orzo.
• Cover and cook on medium low heat for 20-25 minutes (rice) or 10 minutes (orzo).
• While the rice cooks, lightly beat the eggs and the lemon juice together.
• Remove the broth from heat.
• Slowly mix about one cup of the hot broth into egg-lemon mixture.
• Add to the soup gradually while stirring.
• Place saucepan back on the heat, and stir until soup is heated through (DO NOT BOIL).
• Serve.

LEMON, CHICKEN AND ORZO SOUP WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.
• Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the orzo. Cook until the orzo is just tender, about 7 minutes.
• Add the chicken and simmer until heated through. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the dill and lemon zest. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with additional dill.

LEMON CHICKEN RICE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth, bouillon cube, rice, carrots, celery and onion.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender.
• Stir in chicken.
• Remove from heat.
• Then, in a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth.
• Gradually add 2 cups of broth mixture, cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
• In a small bowl, beat the eggs until frothy.
• Gradually beat lemon juice and 2 cups thickened broth into the large pot of soup.
• Very slowly add egg mixture into the soup, stirring constantly. Do not do this if your soup is boiling or very hot or your eggs will split. You may want to take the soup off the burner for a few minutes before you add the eggs.
• Heat gently until soup thickens enough to coat a spoon-- do not boil!
• Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with lemon.

AVGOLEMONO (GREEK EGG AND LEMON SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups stock to a boil. Add orzo; cook until al dente, 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
• Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup water. Heat remaining 2 cups stock until hot; do not boil.
• In an electric mixer, beat eggs with whisk until fluffy; add cornstarch mixture and lemon juice. With mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add 1 to 2 cups hot stock until incorporated and mixture thickens slightly. Add any remaining stock to orzo.
• Over low heat, slowly add egg mixture to orzo, stirring constantly until thickened and creamy. Do not let it come to a boil; eggs will curdle. Serve immediately.

CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER AND LEMON

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add onion; sauté 4 minutes.
• Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes.
• Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; saute 1 minute.
• Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Cool slightly.
• Puree soup in batches in blender.
• Return soup to pot.
• Mix in lemon juice.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired.
• Ladle into bowls.
• Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH LEMON CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and coriander; stir 1 minute. Add vegetable broth and simmer until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Strain into same pan, pressing on solids to release liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• Stir crème fraîche, lemon juice, and lemon peel in small bowl. Divide soup among bowls. Top with dollop of lemon crème fraîche and serve.

SLOW COOKER CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP WITH LEMON, RICE AND DILL

Steps:

• Combine the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaf in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Pull the skin off half of the thighs and discard it (or save to render the fat at another time). Add the chicken to the slow cooker and top with broth. Season generously with pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt if you are using low-sodium broth or 1 teaspoon salt if using homemade unsalted stock. (Do not add salt now if you are using fully salted broth.) Cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. If it's more convenient, you can let the slow cooker switch to warm after 6 hours. The soup will hold on warm for about another 2 hours before the chicken starts to dry out.
• With a spoon or ladle, skim and discard any obvious foam and fat from the top of the soup. With tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and vegetables to a bowl and strain the broth. Discard the vegetables (or if they still have flavor, set them aside for a snack) and let the chicken cool while you finish the soup. Return the broth to the slow cooker, and switch the heat to high. Stir in the rice, cover and let the soup heat up until it is at least steaming hot, or bubbling a bit around the edges, about 10 minutes.
• Whisk the lemon juice, egg yolks and sour cream in a medium bowl until creamy and combined. Dip a liquid measuring cup into the hot broth. While whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle about 2 cups of hot broth into the lemon juice mixture until fully combined and smooth. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker with the rest of the soup and whisk for another minute or so, until the soup starts to thicken enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Coarsely shred the chicken meat and add it into the soup, discarding the bones and skin. Stir in the dill and taste the soup. Add salt if necessary, and more lemon juice and black pepper if you like. If the soup isn't hot enough, cover and let heat on high for another 10 minutes.

LEMON CHICKEN & RICE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken; cook and stir until browned. Transfer to a 6-qt. slow cooker. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken., Stir broth, vegetables, lemon slices, lemon juice, lemon zest and pepper into slow cooker with chicken. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours or until chicken is tender. Stir in rice; heat through.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the chicken stock with 4 cups water, the carrot, celery, dill, shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast, lower the heat to a bare simmer, and cook, turning occasionally, until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the breast to a plate. Remove the carrot, celery, dill and shallot from the broth, and discard.
• Raise the heat to a brisk simmer. Add the orzo to the broth and simmer until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken.
• Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a medium bowl. When the orzo is cooked, slowly ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot broth into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Pour back into the saucepan and cook, whisking occasionally, just until the broth returns to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the shredded chicken, and season with salt.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with dill.

GREEK LEMON AND CHICKEN SOUP (AVGOLEMONO)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add carrot, onion, and celery. Cook, stirring continuously, until vegetables start to soften and turn translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add chicken broth, parsley, and oregano. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add chicken and orzo. Reduce heat to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a heat-safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Add the lemon juice and whisk until well combined.
• Slowly add a ladle of hot broth to the egg mixture, whisking quickly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Repeat with a few more ladles until the egg mixture is hot and steaming. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and whisk until incorporated.
• Add 1/2 of the lemon zest to the soup; reserve remaining zest for another use. Taste soup; if too lemony, add chicken bouillon. Add hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook until orzo is tender yet firm to the bite, about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.

GREEK LEMON-RICE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat broth to boiling in medium saucepan; stir in rice and garlic.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Mix lemon juice and egg; slowly stir mixture into soup.
• Stir in parsley; season to taste with salt and white pepper.
• Pour soup into bowls.

CHICKPEA VEGETABLE SOUP WITH PARMESAN, ROSEMARY AND LEMON

Steps:

• Insert the clove into the onion. Put the onion in a large pot with the chickpeas, rosemary sprig, garlic, bay leaves, olive oil, salt and cheese rind. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about an hour, or until chickpeas are tender.
• Add the tomatoes, carrots and celery, cover loosely, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 25 minutes longer. While soup simmers, mix the chopped rosemary, grated Parmesan, lemon zest and pepper in a small bowl.
• Season the soup to taste and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan mixture.

AVGOLEMONO: CHICKEN SOUP WITH EGG-LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a large pot and add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low, skimming when necessary.
• Heat the oil in a separate pan over medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions until clear, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• When the chicken is cooked through, 45 minutes to 1 hour, remove from the broth. Let the chicken cool, and then pull the meat from the bones. Dice into large cubes and set aside.
• Add the bay leaves, carrot, leek and reserved onions to the broth and simmer, about 1 hour.
• Remove the carrot and leek from the broth and add the rice. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat to medium-high to simmer until the rice is cooked to al dente, about 30 minutes. Add the chicken back into the broth. Add more water if needed.
• In a small bowl, beat the lemon juice and eggs together. Pour 2 cups of broth slowly into the bowl, whisking continuously. Once all the broth is incorporated, add the mixture into the pot of chicken soup and stir to blend well throughout. Add the salt and pepper. Serve hot.