Lemon Chicken Vermicelli Soup 🍋

Description

Comforting Middle Eastern chicken soup with fine vermicelli, soft vegetables, and bright lemon in a golden, gently spiced broth. 🍋

Hook

Poach chicken in fragrant stock, stir in vermicelli and lemon, and you get a light but satisfying bowl that feels like a warm hug on a busy day. ✨

Ingredients

• 🍗 Boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in chunks: 400 g (14 oz)
• 🧅 Yellow onion, finely diced: 100 g (1 small / 3.5 oz)
• 🥕 Carrot, diced small: 80 g (1 small / 2.8 oz)
• 🥬 Celery stalk, diced: 50 g (½ cup / 1.8 oz)
• 🧄 Garlic, minced: 6 g (2 cloves / 0.21 oz)
• 🧈 Olive oil or butter: 20 ml (1½ tbsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• 🍋 Fresh lemon juice: 30 ml (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍋 Lemon zest, finely grated: 1 tsp (2 g / 0.07 oz)
• 🥣 Vermicelli pasta (thin, broken into short pieces): 60 g (2 oz / about 1 cup)
• 🌿 Fresh parsley, chopped: 10 g (2 tbsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🧂 Fine salt: 6 g (1 tsp / 0.21 oz), to taste
• ⚫ Black pepper: 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🥣 Chicken stock or broth: 1.2 l (5 cups / 40 fl oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Sauté the vegetables
2. Heat olive oil or butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook 5–6 min until soft and slightly translucent. Stir in garlic and cook 1 min until fragrant.
3. 2️⃣ Poach the chicken
4. Add the chicken pieces, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat in the vegetables. Pour in the chicken stock or broth, bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook 15–18 min until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
5. 3️⃣ Cook the vermicelli
6. Stir in the vermicelli. Simmer 5–7 min, stirring occasionally so the pasta does not clump or stick to the bottom. If the soup becomes too thick, add a splash of hot water.
7. 4️⃣ Finish with lemon and herbs
8. Turn the heat to low. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, and most of the parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra salt, pepper, or lemon if needed.
9. 5️⃣ Serve
10. Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Garnish with the remaining parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil if you like. Serve immediately while hot and steamy.

Total Time

⏱️ Prep: 10 min
🔥 Cook: 25–30 min
😌 Rest: 0 min
🕒 Total: 35–40 min

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