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+ servings
A bowl of chicken soup.
4.50 from 6 votes

Ultimate Chicken Soup

Make this flavorful chicken soup for an extra flavorful chicken soup. It is made with a whole head of garlic, vegetables, and lightened up with lemon juice.
Prep 25 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 55 minutes
Fat 9
Carbs 32
Protein 26
Yield 8

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion minced (~1 cup)
  • 2 cups chopped carrots (~4 carrots chopped into half moons)
  • 1 large russet potato cut into ½-inch cubes (~1.5 cups)
  • 8 oz. sliced Bella mushrooms
  • 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt separated
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 head garlic minced (~23 garlic cloves)
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • cup fresh lemon juice ~2 medium lemons
  • 1 cup uncooked barley
  • 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 cups chopped fresh kale deboned and packed

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant, add onion to the pot and season with 1⁄4 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper to the pot and toss all of the ingredients together. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and toss and cook for another 2 minutes.
    Vegetables and garlic in a Dutch oven.
  • Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and barley into the pot and mix until combined. Then, submerge the chicken into the broth and add the thyme sprigs. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, stir, and then turn the heat to low. Cover the soup and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
    All of the ingredients for chicken soup in a Dutch oven.
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and carefully shred the chicken and transfer it back into the pot. Add the chopped kale and mix to combine.
    Shredded chicken on a plate.
  • Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes to allow the kale to soften.
    Kale added to the chicken soup.
  • Remove the thyme sprigs from the pot and serve with fresh lemon slices.
    Soup served with a lemon slice.

Tips & Notes

  • If you don't have barley, you can use farro. 
  • Feel free to substitute kale for spinach.

Watch it

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g