This is not your average chicken and rice soup! Lemon and ginger root flavor this brothy and healing dish. Make this healthy soup on a cold day or when you are feeling under the weather. It is sure to help warm and heal you right up.
Ingredients
Ginger Root- Fresh ginger root adds a subtly spicy taste to the broth. Ginger is very good for you and has been known to reduce nausea and inflammation.
Prepare ginger by cleaning and removing the peel using a spoon. To do this, hold the spoon firmly and strap the side of the spoon against the surface of ginger. This method easily removes the peel. Then, grate the ginger using a microplane or the smaller holes on a cheese grater.
Lemon – Lemon is added at the end of cooking and adds a very fresh element to the soup. The juice of one entire lemon is used in this recipe. I love a very lemony soup so I will add a little extra squeeze of lemon to my bowl. Bottled lemon juice can be used as a substitute however I think fresh lemon juice tastes a lot better.
Bone Broth – I use a no-salt added chicken bone broth in this recipe that has chicken as the only ingredient listed. You can use whatever broth, stock or bone broth you prefer or have on hand. I recommend choosing a broth that is no-salt added or low sodium when making any soup. This allows you to control the amount of salt that goes in your soup. Using a full sodium broth may yield a saltier taste as it boils down while cooking the soup.
This recipe is onion and garlic free. If you cannot eat onion or garlic make sure the broth you buy does not have them listed in the ingredients. Be careful with broths that have ‘flavoring’ or ‘seasonings’ listed as this can often include onion and garlic.
Chicken- Cooked and diced chicken breast is added towards the end of cooking the soup. You could also use chicken from a rotisserie.
How to cook Chicken Breast
I am a big meal prepper and will cook a bunch of chicken breasts at the start of the week to use in soups like this or add to salads.
To cook chicken breasts in the oven, I simply coat the chicken in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then, roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. The larger the chicken breast the longer it will take longer to cook in the oven. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cooking Tips
Sautéing the vegetables: To make this soup, start with sautéing the olive oil, carrot and celery in a soup pot for about 10 minutes, stirring often. The vegetables will become slightly softened and lightly browned. Then, the spices are added: grated fresh ginger root, turmeric, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. The spices are stirred in and cooked until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Chicken bone broth (or stock) is then added and brought to a simmer. Continue simmering the soup over medium-low heat for 5 minutes with the lid on but slightly vented.
Adding the remaining ingredients: White rice is added and simmered for 15 minutes, with the lid slightly vented.
Next, add the cooked and diced chicken to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes. This will finish cooking the rice and heat up the chicken. Be careful not to over cook the rice. If the rice is overcooked it will start to soak up a lot of the broth. If this happens simply add more broth to your soup.
Lastly, after the soup has finished cooking the juice of one lemon is stirred in.
Taste for Seasoning: Always taste your food before serving. Add additional salt or pepper if needed.
How to serve
I like to serve the soup topped with fresh chopped parsley and an extra squeeze of lemon juice. I will also add some fresh ginger root that I cut into thin matchsticks. Raw ginger root is very spicy so do this sparingly and only if you really want a kick of spice!
Reheating
This soup saves and reheats well. I will meal prep this recipe on a Sunday and eat it for lunch during the week. The rice may soak some of the broth as it sits. I prefer a very broth soup, so I add an extra slash of broth as I reheat it.
While this recipe for Lemon-Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup is garlic and onion free, you do not need to be garlic and onion free yourself to enjoy it! Trust me, this dish is not missing out on any flavor. Not adding garlic and onion allows the ginger and lemon flavors to shine in this rich and flavorful soup. This soup is probably one of my most made recipes and will sure to quickly become yours!.
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Lemon-Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large celery stalks sliced
- 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 quarts no salt added or low sodium chicken bone broth or stock
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 2 chicken breasts cooked and diced
- juice and zest from one lemon
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and softened. About 10 minutes.
- Add ginger, turmeric, pepper flakes, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook another 30 seconds.
- Add broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium-low heat, with lid slightly cracked, for 5 minutes.
- Add rice and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer with the lid cracked for 15 minutes.
- Add chicken and the juice and zest of one lemon and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, add salt, pepper or additional lemon juice as desired.
- Serve and top with chopped parsley.
This looks so good! Definitely going to try to incorporate this into my meal plan this week! Thanks for the recipe!
Hope you like it!
Was feeling under the weather and made this soup last week. It was PERFECT. Making it again tonight!
one thing to note- the printer version of the recipe doesn’t say when to add the ginger. it’s with the rest of the seasonings.