Why you’ll love this lemon ginger chicken soup
- It will make you feel better. When you are feeling under the weather, this soup will bring you back to life thanks to the ginger with its cold-fighting properties and the hot broth to warm your bones.
- It’s full of flavor. By using bone-in, skin-on chicken, we’re creating extra flavor in two ways. First, by searing the chicken to create a Maillard reaction, and second, simmering the chicken which allows the flavor from the fats and bone to infuse into the broth.
- It’s easy to make. Even with the extra step of searing the chicken, this soup is incredibly easy to make. It’s all just a matter of waiting for the flavor to develop and the rice to cook at the end.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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- Chicken stock – You can use chicken stock or broth for this recipe (the only difference is if they’re made with bones or not). If you use reduced sodium, you may need to adjust the salt in your soup accordingly.
- Vegetables – We’re using a classic mirepoix to build flavor in the soup. I don’t recommend swapping these veggies, but if you totally despise one, leave it whole (ie. a full celery stalk in the soup) and remove it before serving.
- Jasmine rice – I love the way the flavor of jasmine rice pairs with the ginger and lemon in this soup, but you can also use long grain white rice instead.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make lemon ginger chicken soup
Sear the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season it with salt & pepper. Then, heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat.
Add some olive oil, and when it’s glistening, add the chicken, skin-side down. Let it cook until the skin is nice and golden brown.
This will take about 5 minutes, and it will naturally release on its own. If it won’t pull away from the pan easily, leave it for a minute or two longer.
Turn and brown the other side. Then, transfer the chicken to a plate and let it rest.
Sauté the aromatics. Leave any rendered fat in the pan, and add the onion, shallots, celery, carrots, and garlic. Let them cook, stirring as needed, until they’re start to soften up and the onions have become translucent.
Next, add in the lemon zest and ginger. Stir to combined.
Simmer the soup. Pour in the lemon juice and stock and return the chicken to the pot so that it’s submerged in liquid. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer (over medium-low heat) until the chicken has cooked through. This should take about 15 – 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken and transfer to a cutting board to shred the meat.
Cook the rice. While you’re shredding the chicken, let the rice cook. Make sure you rinse it to remove any excess starches before adding it to the pot along with extra water to help it cook.
Return the chicken to the pot when you’re done shredding and allow it to heat back up while the rice finishes cooking. This should take about 15 minutes.
Garnish and serve. When the rice is tender, the lemon ginger chicken soup is done. Adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper, if desired and serve each bowl with some fresh herbs. We like chives, basil, cilantro and mint with this soup, but any will work.
Everything you need to know about chicken and rice soup
No. You don’t have to cook rice before adding it to soup. I recommend rinsing the rice to remove excess starches and prevent the broth from getting cloudy.
If you want to cook the rice before adding it to the soup, or if you want to use leftover rice, you’ll want to leave out the water listed in the ingredients.
Wait to add the rice until the rest of the soup is cooked. I like to add my rice and let it cook while I’m shredding the chicken.
Ginger adds flavor to soup, but it can also have healing qualities, so it’s great in soup when you’re not feeling your best. It is known for helping with nausea and fighting colds and inflammation.
More lemon & ginger recipes you will love
- Lemon rosemary broiled chicken breast
- Sesame ginger lime chicken
- Ginger peach galette
- Lemon margaritas
More dairy free soup recipes you should try
Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 – 3 large chicken breast, bone-in, skin-on
- 3 – 4 carrots, sliced
- 3 – 4 celery, sliced
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 1/2 small shallot, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed well
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and allow it to get hot.
- Pat chicken dry and season the chicken liberally with salt & pepper. Add the chicken to the pot, skin side down and sear until it naturally releases from the pan, about 5 minutes. Turn and sear for a few more minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the veggies to the pan and sauté them in the oil and remaining rendered fats. Sauté until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Stir in the lemon zest and ginger to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in lemon juice and chicken broth, and return chicken to the pan.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 – 25 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred the meat, discarding any skin and bones.
- Add rice to and water to the pan and allow the rice to cook.
- Return shredded chicken to the pan and adjust seasoning to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I have never left a comment on a recipe before, despite years of learning how to cook from various blogs and making recipes over again. This is for sure a recipe I plan on making often. I felt the instructions were on the minimal side, but it gave me the freedom to make this recipe my own – I added garlic and spinach just a few minutes before serving. It came out absolutely delicious and was exactly what I was looking for on a gloomy spring day. I had never seared chicken before boiling it for shredding and wow is it better. I do recommend saving a little bit of the zest and ginger (1/4 tsp each) to add right before serving so the flavors really pop but that’s personal preference. Really paired well with rainbow peppercorns too!
I feel like this needs more ginger. I couldn’t really taste the ginger. I used three frozen minced garlic cubes. 1 cube to is equal to a teaspoon of grated/minced ginger.
I’ve made this recipe so many times I can’t believe it doesn’t have more ratings ! Such a hidden gem ! I love it and look forward to making it again every time I finish it.
That’s so nice of you to say! It’s definitely one of my favorites too!
I think I will add more garlic, ginger, and lemon next time but this was delicious for a rainy evening! And it’s a hearty meal with biscuits or rolls!