Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
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This Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is a Whole30 chicken soup made with lemon, Greek spices, and potatoes. It is so comforting and flavorful. It’s like the perfect combination of chicken noodle soup and lemon-herb roasted potatoes.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup is the first thing I am making next time I have a cold.
Getting sick in the winter is a given, but getting sick while on the Whole30 can be terrible. Mostly because you don’t get to eat all of your usual comfort foods like chicken noodle soup.
This comforting lemony soup has fully replaced chicken noodle soup for me. It’s bursting with flavor and is still a filling comfort food thanks to the golden potatoes.
I keep a container of this Greek lemon chicken soup in the freezer during cold and flu season. It is the perfect thing to warm me up when I am feeling under the weather.
What kitchen tools will I need to make this lemon chicken soup?
You can make this recipe in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Either way, you will only need a few basic kitchen tools in order to make this soup.
- Instant Pot, Stockpot or Dutch Oven
- Sharp knife for chopping vegetables
- Vegetable peeler
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Microplane for zesting
- Wooden mixing spoon
What ingredients will I need to make this healthy Greek lemon chicken dinner?
- Ghee
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onion
- Dried oregano
- Dried dill
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh lemon juice
- Chicken broth
- Golden potatoes
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Lemon zest
Ingredient Substituions
You can use orzo pasta in place of potatoes. If I use orzo, I prefer to cook it separately and then stir it into the premade soup.
Feel free to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts. I tend to think chicken thighs are more flavorful than chicken breasts anyway.
It is best to use ghee or butter to saute the veggies for this healthy soup recipe, but if you do not want to use either of those you can use olive oil.
Simplify this recipe with rotisserie chicken
To make this Greek lemon chicken soup recipe even easier, use the shredded breast meat from a rotisserie chicken. Stir this in towards the end of simmering the soup.
Let’s make Greek Lemon Chicken Soup!
Step 1: Dice, Peel, Chop, Zest
First, dice the carrots, celery, and onion. Then peel and cube the potatoes. Next, zest the lemons and squeeze the juice out.
Step 2: Saute
Then, heat the ghee in the Instant Pot on simmer or in the dutch oven on medium-low heat. Next, add the onions, celery, carrots to the pot and saute for 4 minutes. Then, stir in the herbs, spices, salt and pepper and saute for an additional minute.
Step 3: Boil and Simmer or Pressure Cook
For stovetop, next, add the potatoes, chicken breast, lemon juice, water, and chicken broth to the pot and bring it to a boil. Once the soup is boiling reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
For Instant Pot, dd the potatoes, chicken breast, lemon juice, water, and chicken broth to the Instant Pot. Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure and cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Shred the chicken and Stir into soup
For both methods, remove the chicken from the pot and shred with 2 forks. Then, add the shredded chicken back to the soup and stir to combine. Finally, serve the soup with fresh lemon slices and fresh herbs.
garnish options
Add even more flavor to this lemon chicken soup by serving it with flavorful fresh garnish options. I like to serve this with fresh lemon zest, fresh dill, cracked black pepper and parmesan cheese.
Can I make this lemon chicken soup in the Instant Pot?
Yes! I have included both Instant Pot and stovetop instructions for this Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. Keep reading to learn how to make this greek lemon soup quickly in the instant pot.
Can I make this Greek chicken soup ahead of time and freeze it?
Yes, you can! This recipe makes quite a bit of soup. So much that we couldn’t finish it all in the 4 days that it will last.
Allow your soup to cool completely and then place it in airtight containers. Place the soup in the freezer where it should be good for at least a few months.
Check out these other healthy and comforting soup recipes!
- Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup
- Sweet Potato and Sausage Curry Soup
- Homemade Chickarina Soup (Progresso Copycat)
- Sweet Potato Paleo Chili
If you love Greek food, you should check out this Easy Greek Dinner Party Menu!
Keep reading to grab the full recipe! If you make this soup please rate and review in the comments below, or share it with me on Instagram!
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
A fun Whole30 twist on chicken soup made with lemon, Greek spices, and potatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 6 medium golden potatoes
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Zest from 2 lemons
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Dice the carrots, celery and onion
- Peel and cut the potatoes into 1″ cubes
- Zest two lemons before squeezing them for 1/4 cup lemon juice
- Turn the Instant Pot on saute and add the ghee to the pot
- Once the ghee has fully melted add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot
- Saute the veggies in the for 4 minutes, tossing frequently
- Add oregano, dill, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pot and sauté for another minute
- Turn the instant pot off sauté
- Add the chicken broth, water, chicken breast, lemon juice, and potatoes to the pot
- Give the soup a gentle stir and close the lid of the Instant Pot
- Set the vent to sealing and set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 15 minutes
- Let the Instant Pot come to pressure and then cook for 15 minutes
- Once the Instant Pot beeps, manually release the pressure and remove the lid
- Remove the chicken breasts and shred with two forks
- Add the shredded chicken back to pot with the lemon zest and stir to combine
- Serve the soup with fresh lemon and dill
Stovetop Instructions
- Dice the carrots, celery and onion
- Peel and cut the potatoes into 1″ cubes
- Zest two lemons before squeezing them for 1/4 cup lemon juice
- Heat ghee in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat
- Once the ghee has fully melted add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot
- Sauté the veggies in the for 4 minutes, tossing frequently
- Add oregano, dill, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pot and sauté for another minute
- Add the chicken broth, water, chicken breast, lemon juice, and potatoes to the pot
- Give the soup a gentle stir and increase the heat to high
- Allow the soup to come to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer
- Allow the soup to simmer covered for 20 minutes and turn off the heat
- Remove the chicken breasts and shred with two forks
- Add the shredded chicken back to pot with the lemon zest and stir to combine
- Serve the soup with fresh lemon and dill
Jessica says
Easy and delicious! I didn’t use dill and I wish I did to give more for a flavor boost to the broth. Don’t skip the dill!
Madeline says
Good to know, Jessica! Thanks for trying! I love dill 🙂
Joelle says
This recipe is so simple, filling and delicious!
Its super simple and comes together quickly.
I add orzo or my noddle loving son.
Ive made this a few times now and twice to give as a meal for new moms. Comforting, healthy and easy to freeze if need be!
Julia says
This is a great soup, I made a second batch just a few days after my first batch. I have been keeping some in the freezer for lunches. I topped one batch with biscuit mix to make it into chicken and dumplings and it was a delicious and filling meal.
Madeline says
oooo that sounds SO good! I can’t wait to prep a batch for my freezer
Robyn says
This is quickly becoming my go-to when feeling under the weather. It’s light but so filling. Super easy to make and stores really well!
Madeline says
thank you so much!!!
Jackie Forney says
Omg. The best chicken soup on the planet 😎. Very easy to make. Instead of fresh vegetables I used a package of frozen mirepoix (Diced onions, celery, and carrots). Will definitely make this again.
Madeline says
Yay!! Thanks, Jackie!
Kristin says
Hi Madeline. What do you think about using Japanese sweet potatoes instead of golden potatoes?
Madeline says
Hi Kristin, I think this could be interesting to try! They may take a little longer to cook and it will slightly change the taste and color of the soup but I think it could all pair well together.