Lemon Chicken Rice Soup

I've been making this Lemon Chicken Rice Soup for over a decade and we love it now as much as we did the first time I made it.  It's a "semi-homemade" recipe that comes together quickly but tastes like you spent all day on it.

I start with chicken breast tenderloins chopped into bite sized pieces.  You can use any cut you want, you just want about 1 1/2 pounds. I cook the chicken with a little olive oil and fresh cracked black pepper in a dutch oven until the chicken is no longer pink.

 

Next up is carrots.  You can use thinly sliced carrots but I like to run mine over the Microplane. They get distributed so much more evenly that way.  I then add a 32oz low sodium chicken broth and cream of chicken soup and stir well.

I've admitted in the past, I cannot cook rice, so the Ben's Ready Rice are one of my culinary best friends. I love the Roast Chicken flavor for this! I microwave them for about 60 seconds before adding them into the pot. 

Obviously the key to this one is the lemons. I do not recommend the bottled lemon juice for this.  I zest the lemons first with the Microplane onto a plate and then I juice them into a large bowl or measuring cup. The juice goes in with the rice and the zest and parsley go in right before serving.

We usually have this with some fresh baked dinner rolls and dunk them right into the broth.  I also love it spooned over Saltines, which is how I ate my soup as a kid.  If there are leftovers, which is rare, I put them into 1 cup containers and pop them in the freezer for easy lunches.

Lemon Chicken Rice Soup

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
• 2 10 3/4oz cans condensed cream of chicken soup -- undiluted
• 2 packages Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Roasted Chicken flavor (microwaved for 60 seconds)
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins -- cut in bite sized chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 6 to 8 large lemons -- zested and juiced
• 6 to 8 baby carrots -- grated on Microplane
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Instructions

1. Add oil to dutch oven that's warmed over med/high heat. Add chicken and stir until it's no longer pink.
2. Add pepper, carrots, cream of chicken soup, broth, rice and stir.
3. Add lemon juice. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in zest and parsley.

Recommended Products:

Lodge 6 qt Dutch Oven

Microplane Classic Zester/Grater, Black

OXO Good Grips 2-in-1 Citrus Juicer

Other recipes you may enjoy:

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

Italian Sausage Minestrone

lemon, chicken, rice, soup

Soup, lunch, dinner

American

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This post has been updated with new photos, text and a printable recipe card.