This delicious crockpot lemon chicken rice soup is a full meal-in-a-bowl. Tender chicken and veggies in a heartly, rice-based stew with a light lemony kick.
Some soups are just that - soup. Warm, inviting and delicious. But other soups are more like stew; thick, hearty and filling. This Greek-inspired chicken, lemon and rice recipe is a perfect example of a stew-like soup.
How to Make Easy Lemon Chicken Soup
This recipe falls into the super easy category! The ingredients are basic and easy to find:
- chicken breasts
- frozen or fresh chopped carrots, celery and onion
- dried, ground rosemary
- dried, ground thyme
- bay leaves
- dried, ground sage
- chicken stock
- minced garlic
- fresh pepper
- long grain brown rice
- lemon juice
All ingredients are added to the crockpot at the start of the cooking process except the lemon juice, which is added shortly before serving. The two most labor intensive tasks (if you can call them that) are shredding the chicken and cutting the veggies. If you want to take your "lazy" up a notch, you can use frozen vegetables, so there will be no cutting required.
Since this easy chicken soup is has a nice long cooking time, it is a great dish to throw together before heading out to work or an otherwise busy day. Half an hour before serving, remove the chicken to shred it and add juice of one fresh squeezed lemon. Return shredded chicken to the pot, set the table, make a side salad and dinner is ready!
Crockpot Soup Hints and Hacks:
- There are a lot of different opinions regarding the best way to shred chicken. Some people prefer to use a potato masher while other use the beaters of a handheld mixer. This chicken will be so tender it will be very easy to shred with two forks. Good to keep it simple!
- I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price. Here are the liners I buy.
- In the market for a new slow cooker? Here is the one I am currently lusting after.
- This recipe calls for chopped onion, carrots and celery. The laziest way to accomplish that task is to purchase Mirepoix. Inexpensive bags of it are usually available in the frozen vegetable section of the market.
- This is a great dish if your people will be eating at different times. After the cooking time, turn your slow cooker to low and everyone can have a warm and filling meal, no matter what time they are ready to eat.
- To get the most juice out of a fresh lemon, use tongs to squeeze half a lemon at a time.
Lazy Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Rice Soup
Equipment
- 6 quart slow cooker or larger
- Spoon
- measuring spoons or cups
Ingredients
- 2 lg chicken breasts
- 1 12oz package frozen mirepoix (cut carrots, celery and onion) If you prefer to cut fresh: 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, ½ onion
- ½ cup additional chopped onion (frozen or fresh)
- 1½ tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried ground rosemary
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup brown long grain rice
- 1½ lemons, juiced
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts and vegetables in slow cooker vessel
- add rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, pepper and bay leaves
- add rice
- pour in chicken stock
- cook 6-8 hours on low
- Half an hour prior to serving, remove chicken breasts, shred with two forks and return to pot.
- add lemon juice, stir and allow to cook for another half an hour.
Notes
Great Crockpot Chicken Soup Recipes:
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JULIE lennert says
I am going to cook the Lemon, slow cooker, chicken soup RIGHT NOW! I've been looking for a Greek Chicken, Lemon & rice soup. Can I substitute Reeses WILD RICE for the brown rice. The possibility of " mushy of rice would be reduced. Think I'll try this and let You and others know the outcome. Soooooooo...HERE I GO !!! LOVE LOVE ALL YOUR INFO!!! GOD BLESS......MS. JULES
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Wild rice is a great idea! Please let us know how it goes.
And...thank you so much for kind words and support!
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