Lemon Rosemary Chicken Soup with loads of veggies like carrots and kale, beans, chicken, and a lemon rosemary broth. So cozy.
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Soup
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Absolute perfection! A balance between hearty and healthy. My 4 & 5 year olds gobbled this soup and asked if we could have it again tomorrow. So so good!
Shelly
Watch How To Make This Chicken Soup
Or, As We Call It, Cafe Chicken Soup.
I texted my friends at 8am on Monday morning – “anyone want to come for a playdate today? I’m making soup.”
I was craving for something brothy, satisfying, and bright. Like the feeling of sinking into the couch on a cold day, wrapped in a blanket, sun on my face – that, but soup. Lemon rosemary chicken soup.
Both friends were at my house within two hours, sitting at my tiny kitchen island, drinking coffee while I chopped random veggies I had found in my fridge for soup and our kids played like wild little animals down in the basement. Which, honestly, is the exact kind of life I have always dreamed of.
We ate this brothy, veg-packed lemon rosemary chicken soup and crusty bread with rosemary butter and we decided that we were actually in a cafe, hence the nickname “cafe chicken soup”.
One of my daughters loves this soup, and Bjork also enjoys it, but I would consider this mainly a soup for me.
I am the one who wants a warm, brothy, veg-heavy soup for lunch waiting for me in the fridge or freezer when it’s 1pm and I realize I didn’t have anything planned for lunch. Honestly, this has been the ideal way to set myself up for some feel-good happiness through the crazy months of November and December.
It freezes well, too, and doesn’t it seem like it’d be perfect with leftover Thanksgiving turkey? That’s my plan for next week. Extra rosemary salt, please! And wouldn’t this be amazing with a loaf of no-knead bread? Or some homemade ranch crackers on top? Yes.
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Soup
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Soup with loads of veggies like carrots and kale, beans, chicken, and a lemon rosemary broth. So cozy.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Soup
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- half an onion, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, finely chopped
- 3 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary and/or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 can cannellini or navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups shredded kale
- 2–3 cups cooked shredded chicken or turkey (see notes)
- 5 cups chicken broth (I like the Better Than Bouillon broth base, or bone broth)
Finishers:
- juice of two lemons
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated Parmesan, bread, and butter for serving
Instructions
- Saute Veggies: In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Saute for 5-8 minutes or until very soft.
- Add Aromatics: Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, and salt. Let it get nice and delicious for a minute, stirring to avoid burning or browning the garlic.
- Simmer: Add the beans, kale, chicken, broth, and remaining olive oil (optional). Bring to a low simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the kale is wilted. If you have time to cook it for a while longer over low heat, great. Delicious.
- Finish: Pull out the herb stems. Add lemon juice, more salt, fresh black pepper to taste (all optional and to taste)! Top with parm and serve with a thick slice of bread, a thick shmear of butter, and a pinch of rosemary salt. Fresh, bright, yummy!
Notes
Chicken: I typically use pulled and shredded rotisserie chicken. You can also use raw chicken breasts or thighs, add them to the pot with the simmering broth, and let them cook for about 10-12 minutes or until 165 degrees. Remove, shred, and return to pot. This would also work great with leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
Olive oil: The extra olive oil that gets added in Step 3 is there to make it taste a little extra luscious. Without it, there isn’t a lot of fat in this soup – it’s just broth and veggies and chicken. And adding a good fat to this soup, I think, helps it really go from “brothy boring soup” to “wow, that’s really good soup”. That said, the extra oil is not necessary if you’re using a homemade broth, which typically already has a nice silky feel to it because of the fat content.
Instant Pot: I have made this in my Instant Pot and it’s great. I sautéed everything as directed in steps 1-2, then for step 3 I set it to high pressure for about 3 minutes and let it natural pressure release. (If you add raw chicken to the soup, you’ll need to cook at high pressure for 10-12 minutes.)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chicken soup, lemon soup, leftover turkey, lemon chicken soup, easy soup recipe, soup recipe
Three More Soups I Love This Time Of Year:
November 22, 2024
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I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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I used the Instant Pot and added the olive oil and lemon juice at the end using the same technique as your lentil soup (blended for a minute with some broth and veggie pieces from the pot) — that added just a hint of delicious creaminess. Definitely will be a new staple in my household ragdoll archers free!
This soup is sooooo delicious and the kitchen smells so good!
Can you make this in the slow cooker?
This soup looks comforting, but I’ve been burned by lemon in soups too many times to just trust the process blindly. You mentioned pulling the soup off the heat “just before stirring in the lemon juice” to avoid curdling, which is the exact nightmare I usually deal with. Does that actually work if I’m reheating leftovers the next day, or am I going to end up with a separated, grainy mess once I microwave it?
The lemon – rosemary soup was just so delicious I have to make it again. I really like a lot of your recipes, my kind of chef,
Thank you,
Sharon
PS I do receive your post weekly!
This is so good. The rosemary and lemon really set this apart from other chicken soup. I remember you made this once on instagram and used orzo pasta instead of beans and that’s the only way I’ve made it. Even with out kale, all the other veggies make me feel good about serving this
Delicious! I put triple the amount of fresh herbs & sub’d a box of chopped frozen spinach for the kale. I used an immersion blender to puree it since I’m into ‘smooth’ soups. Great flavor!
Absolutely delish! Made the soup according to the recipe. I used both fresh thyme and rosemary and it was fabulous!
Another great recipe!!
Thank you:)
Made this without rosemary or kale (just using what I had!) as a base for chicken noodle soup – I will never use another recipe again! So delicious, simple, cozy. Thank you!
This soup is delicious! Nourishing and so much flavor packed into it! My husband was a bit apprehensive when he saw so much chopped kale going into the pot and when he tasted it he said this could go into the regular rotation in the winter. YUMMY!
This was so flavorful and delicious! Easy and quick too with the rotisserie chicken! Adding it to the winners! Thank you!
I made this soup last night in an InstaPot and it was so delicious! I did add a full 5 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and the extra olive oil. I think doing the chicken in the pot really made the stock delicious. My husband looked at the amount of kale that I added with raised eyebrows but it cooks way down and added so much to the soup. Yummy and will be repeating this again.
Easy and delicious, have made this soup several times now. Always a hit, and I really love that there is no pasta in it. Lemon juice adds so much brightness to it.
I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment on a recipe before. But this soup is IT. I’m eating leftovers as we speak and still can’t believe how good it is. If you’re unsure, just do it. The perfect blend of brothy, bright, and filling. Will absolutely be moving this into my regular winter / cozy season meal rotation.
Would you consider adding noodles to this recipe to have an “elevated” chicken noodle soup? If so, what would you recommend for type of noodles, additional cook time, and extra broth recommended?
This Lemon Rosemary Chicken soup is fantastic!!!! So yummy!! So easy to make but oozes with flavor. I love your blog and all your tips and tricks. Every recipe of yours that I’ve made have been top notch. Thanks a ton!
Delicious and perfect for the weather easing into Fall!! My 12 year old whom isn’t a soup fan gave an unsolicited thumbs up
These sound delicious for summer. Can’t wait to try them. Yum!!
This Lemon Rosemary Chicken Soup is absolutely perfect! The flavors are fresh and comforting, and the touch of lemon adds such a bright note. I love how simple and healthy it is, yet it feels so hearty and satisfying. Definitely adding this to my regular recipe rotation—thank you for sharing!
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The tender chicken, slow-cooked to perfection, soaks up the aromatic infusion of rosemary, which imparts a refreshing earthiness to the soup. The addition of fresh lemon juice adds a burst of citrusy brightness that lifts the entire dish, cutting through the richness of the chicken and broth.
What at great soup. Perfectly seasoned with the right amount of veggies. My only mistake was letting it simmer and not taking out the rosemary soon enough before the leaves separated from the stem. Next time I will remember! Still so delicious!
I make basically this soup whenever I need something comforting but wholesome. I’ve never putt eggs in it though that sounds amazing
3/3 kids loved this recipe and that’s just unheard of! I’ve made it for a get together too and people have asked for the recipe- been sharing it with anyone who asks!
Fatty, rich and very unique flavor is what this dish brings capybara clicker