There’s something that feels so cozy and healing about a brothy bowl of chicken, citrus, chickpeas, and herbs. Add a wholesome grain like farro, and you have a hearty soup dish. It might not be backed with science, but there’s something about these ingredients that feel like they can cure any ailment.
This lemony chicken soup has its roots in the Greek avgolemono soup, which is a creamy broth made with lemon and eggs. The biggest difference here is the absence of the egg, which makes the broth more watery versus having a creamy consistency. Both soups are delicious, but with the addition of the farro here, I didn’t feel that the avgolemono broth was needed.
what is included in this soup?
So, in addition to the lemony broth, you’ll need a few other simple ingredients to make this the weeknight soup of your dreams. You’ll need chicken breast, canned chickpeas, farro, onion, garlic, feta cheese, and fresh herbs like dill and parsley.
Note: For the chicken, I boiled a couple breasts ahead of time and shredded them myself before adding to the soup. You can also use rotisserie chicken – it’s a quick way to add already cooked chicken that has great flavor and texture if you keep some of the skins on.
Besides shredding the chicken and roasting the chickpeas, all of the other steps take place in a big pot on the stove and come together really quickly.
I hope you love this recipe and that it becomes a weeknight staple like it has for me! Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think in the comments or post on social media with the tag #thymetozest.
⟶ the recipe
lemony chicken farro soup with roasted chickpeas
ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4-5 cups chicken broth
1 cup farro
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
Salt and pepper
½ cup crumbled feta
Handful of fresh dill and parsley, chopped
Prep time
15 minutes
Cook time
30 minutes
Total time
45 minutes
4 servings
instructions
Preheat oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the chicken breasts, and boil until they’re completely cooked through. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread chickpeas out on the baking sheet and bake until golden and crispy, about 25 minutes.
While chickpeas are roasting, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Add about 2 cups of the chicken broth to the pot, and bring to a rolling boil. Add the farro, give it a stir, and reduce heat so the broth is simmering. Simmer until the farro is puffed up and tender.
While farro is cooking, shred the chicken breast. Once the farro is done cooking, add the shredded chicken, the chickpeas, lemon zest, and the rest of the chicken broth. Add more or less depending on how brothy you want the soup to be. Keep liquid at a simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 additional minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Once soup is steaming hot, remove from heat, and ladle into soup bowls to serve. Top with crumbled feta and chopped herbs.
⟶ modifications
- Make this vegetarian by losing the chicken substituting vegetable broth
- Besides farro, you can use other grains like pearled couscous, barley, or freekeh
⟶ make it ahead
- If you have the time, I recommend cooking and shredding the chicken ahead of time. It makes it easier to just throw it into the soup when you’re cooking without that extra step
- Refrigerate soup in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months
