Customizable Lemon Herb Soup
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here.It’s prime cozy season, ya’ll! And for me, there’s nothing cozier than a steamy bowl of homemade soup. And this steamy homemade soup has SO many good things about it! Lemme tell ya.
First off, this is my new favorite soup simply because of the big kicks of flavor - it’s everything I want in a soup. It’s garlicky, it’s herbaceous, it’s spicy and tart and hearty and amazing. The combinations of flavors and textures in this soup give you the satisfaction of a classic chicken noodle, but way more interesting, keeping you wanting another bowl.
It’s also super customizable! You can use chicken, leftover Thanksgiving turkey (that’s what I used for this batch!), or leave the protein out. You can use any vegetables you’d like, too - I think this would be especially tasty with some spinach or kale added in at the end to wilt. It’s also delicious with any combination of herbs you may have hanging out in your fridge (which is great for me, because I seem to always need to use up herbs!). You can also switch up the herbs to cater to whatever specific cuisine’s flavors are your favorite, like basil and oregano to give it an Italian vibe, or my favorite, mint and dill for a middle eastern flavor.
And finally, if you’re feeling under the weather this cold season, this soup is not only so comforting, but packed full of good stuff to help you recover, like spicy chili to clear those sinuses, and savory garlic to boost your immune system. So let’s eat up!
Step-By-Step Walk-Through
If you’re feeling confident in your cooking skills and want to skip the walk-through, click here.
Step 1:
Prep Ingredients
Finely chop ¼ of a yellow onion.
Halve and thinly slice 1 stalk of celery and 1 large carrot. If you want to add any other vegetables, like zucchini, green beans, etc., prep them here as well.
Quarter and thinly slice 1 large potato. (Or, if you’d rather use pasta or rice instead of potato, you can do that too!)
Shred a cooked large chicken breast or 2-3 cups of rotisserie chicken or cooked turkey. Or, you can make some super easy shredded chicken ahead of time with this recipe.
Finely mince 3 cloves of garlic, or measure out 1 tablespoon of pre-minced garlic.
Finely chop ½ cup of any mixed fresh herbs of your choice.
Zest 1 large lemon with the second largest size on a cheese grater, or a zester.
Measure out 2 tablespoons of salted butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes, and 8 cups of chicken broth (I used hot water with chicken bouillon). If you want to add any greens such as spinach or kale to your soup, set these aside here to add later.
Step 2:
Precook Vegetables
Heat a large pot over medium heat.
Add the salted butter. Once melted, Add the onion, celery, and carrot, as well as any additional vegetable you may want to add. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not quite fully cooked (about 8-10 minutes).
Add the garlic and stir, cooking about 1 more minute, until fragrant.
Step 3:
Boil Potatoes
Add the broth, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and lemon zest and turn heat to high.
Bring to a boil, then stir in the potatoes (or pasta or rice if you’d prefer).
Lower the heat to medium and stir occasionally, boiling until potatoes are fork-soft (about 10 minutes). The timing should be similar if you use rice or noodles as well, just check them to see if they need more cooking.
Step 4:
Finish Soup
Stir in the herbs and shredded meat (and any greens you may want to add if you’d like). Turn heat down to low and allow to simmer another 2-3 minutes.
Serve!
Customizable Lemon Herb Soup
Servings: 8-10 Time: 45-60 minutes
Difficulty: 🧡🧡🤍🤍🤍
Ingredients
¼ yellow onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, halved and sliced
1 large carrot, halved and sliced
Shredded meat of 1 large chicken breast, or 2-3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken or turkey
1 large potato, quartered and sliced, or some pasta or rice of your choice
2 TBS. salted butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red chili flakes
1 TBS. or 3 cloves minced garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup chopped fresh assorted herbs of your choice
8 cups chicken broth
Any additional vegetables/greens you may want to add, prepared as needed
Directions
Step1: Pre-Cook Vegetables
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the onion, celery, and carrot, as well as any additional vegetables you’d like. Cook over medium heat until softened but not quite fully cooked, stirring occasionally (about 8-10 minutes). Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
Step 2: Boil Potatoes
Add the broth, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Turn heat to high and allow to come to a boil. Stir in the potatoes (or, if you’d prefer, some pasta or rice). Turn heat down to medium and allow the potatoes to boil, stirring occasionally, until fork-soft (about 10 minutes). If using pasta or rice, timing should be similar, just give it a taste and cook longer if needed.
Step 3: Finish Soup
Add the shredded protein and fresh herbs (and any greens you may want to add) and stir together. Turn heat down to low and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve it up!