
The days may still be warm, but the last day of summer passed by last week and the evenings have a cool, crisp hint of fall in the air! That means... soup season is upon us! I had my wisdom teeth removed a few weeks ago, so I got an early start on soup season. The idea to make this soup came to me in a sleepy haze while recovering the first weekend after bidding farewell to my molars. There is just something healing about a warm bowl of goodness! Adding zesty lemon to this soup gave a whole new meaning to chicken noodle soup.
Zesty Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup
- 2 quarts of chicken broth (homemade, boxed, or canned)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 celery ribs
- 2-3 carrots
- 1 leek trimmed and chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- A handful of fresh thyme sprigs (or 2 teaspoons dry)
- A handful of fresh oregano (or 1 tablespoon dry)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bag of egg noodles
- Green onions and lemon zest for garnish
Chop veggies and herbs. If using fresh herbs, remove leaves from stems and chop oregano if the leaves are large. Set veggies and herbs aside for later use.

Pour chicken broth into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Put chicken breasts in and cook on medium for 20 minutes.

Remove chicken breasts and transfer stock to another container and set aside. Chop chicken breasts. Note that they may not be cooked all the way through depending on the size of the breasts, but this is fine as you will be putting them back on the heat in just a bit.

Transfer chopped chicken to a bowl and pour in 1 cup of the chicken broth and the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Let this soak while you turn your attention to the veggies.

Heat your stock pot and throw in olive oil with the onion and celery. Cook on medium for about 5 minutes until onions start to become translucent.

Add leeks, carrots, herbs, bay leaves, and 1 cup of chicken broth. Simmer on medium low for about 8-10 minutes or until carrots start to become tender, but not too soft.

Add remaining chicken broth and heat through. Add egg noodles and let cook on medium heat until noodles are about halfway cooked through.

Add chicken (along with the broth and lemon juice it was soaking in) and continue to cook for an additional 15-20 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.


Garnish with chopped green onions and grated lemon zest and enjoy!
