This Low Calorie Chicken Lemon Rice Soup is just 173 calories, and is the best thing to beat a cold, or ward off sickness. Packed with cold and flu busting ingredients like lemons, chicken, chicken broth, and oregano (which is a natural antibiotic!) When I’m really sick, I like add an additional teaspoon of oregano to the top of my soup (and a healthy dose of cayenne pepper). It really helps quicken recovery time.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups water
- Olive oil spray
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 zucchini
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon oregano (fresh is best)
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 lemons
- Salt and pepper to taste
Low Calorie Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
Skip Ahead:
Healthy Chicken and Rice Soup Meal Prep and Storage
Meal Prep – Cook the soup but do not add in the rice. Add the rice to 8 different containers (if meal prepping individual meals) or in one large container. And the soup in 8 containers or one large one. I store them separately because the rice will absorb all of the liquid in storage. If you forget and add all the rice in, that is ok too. Add 1/4 cup of water to each serving before reheating.
Freezing Soup – Be sure any container with the soup is only filled 2/3 full as the soup will expand in the freezer. Store for up to a month in the freezer. If freezing gallon bags, lay flat to freeze to save storage room.
Refrigerated Soup – Will hold in the refrigerator for 4 days.
Reheating – Add to a medium or large sauce pot along with rice. Heat frozen for 30 minutes on low, or defrosted soup for 10 minutes over medium-low heat.
Low Calorie Chicken Lemon Rice Soup Recipe
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Low Calorie Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups water
- Olive oil spray
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks sliced
- 1 zucchini quartered and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped oregano
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 lemons juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pot combine the rice and water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then cover and lower the heat.
- Cook until the water is absorbed. (About 10 minutes)
- Meanwhile, spray a large sauce pot with olive oil, and add the chicken, onion, carrots, and celery.
- Cook on medium heat until the onions start to soften and turn transparent. (About 10 minutes)
- Add in the garlic, oregano, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in the bay leaf and the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
- When the chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes) remove it from the soup and place on a plate while the soup continues to cook.
- Use 2 forks to shred the chicken, and add back to the soup.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf, and remove soup from the heat.
- Add in the lemon juice and the cooked rice and mix together.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. And serve hot.
Special Tips:
- If you store leftovers of this soup, the rice will absorb all the broth. Either keep them separate or add 1-2 cups of water to the soup when re-heating.
- If you're making this soup to burn off a cold, try adding in the juice of 3 lemons (instead of 2), double the oregano, and add in 1-2 teaspoons of cayenne.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author
Hi, my name is Audrey Johns and I am a 4 time best selling cookbook author! All 4 of my low calorie cookbooks are published by HarperCollins (the oldest publishing house in the US!) and have been featured on prominent TV shows like The Today Show, Rachael Ray and The Doctors. I am a low calorie and healthy recipe authority and my delicious recipes are tried and loved by thousands of readers.
After a one year 150 pound weight loss (and I’ve kept it off for 13 years!) I started sharing all of my low calorie recipes with the world. They are always all-natural and geared around weight loss and weight management. I have even made some of these recipes with my Biggest Loser pal Bob Harper! Check out my weight loss story, my best selling cookbooks, and my numerous TV appearances by clicking here.
Nutrition and Calories in Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
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Article History:
- Originally written and published April 29, 2022 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on September 11, 2023 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on November 8, 2023 by Audrey Johns