Baby it’s cold outside, FINALLY! So over this wonky CLT weather! In honor of the colder weather that is here to stay, we bring back our “Souper Smarty” series ft. Greek Lemon Chicken Soup.
I love all things lemon, especially in a chicken soup. So it’s not surprising that I love this recipe, as well as my entire family. It is full of protein, veggies, fiber and deliciousness!
The base is a slow cooker chicken that I got from Carrie at Flywheel years ago. She told me how to make this one day and I’ve been making it weekly ever since. I use the chicken for soups (obvi!), as well as the base for chicken salad, chicken quesadillas, basically anything that calls for chicken. Once you make this, you’ll never grab a rotisserie chicken ever again!
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, around 2 lbs. (Smarty Tip: I buy the $1.99 chicken at the Harris Teeter butcher. It’s cheaper than prepackaged chicken.)
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-1-2 lemons, sliced
-1 T garlic powder
-1 T onion powder
-Dash of Jane’s Crazy Mixed-Up Salt or your salt mix of choice.
Instructions:
Place chicken breasts on bottom of slow cooker. Pour apple cider vinegar on top. Add garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Cover chicken breasts with slices of lemons, make sure most of chicken is covered by a lemon slice. Cook on low for 4 hours. Remove chicken and shred for future recipes. (Smarty Tip: It’s easier to shred chicken when it’s warm.)
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
-1 T olive oil
-1 medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
-1 celery stalk, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
-12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I use slow cooker chicken, recipe above!)
-8 cups low-sodium chicken broth + add a little water after spinach is wilted
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
-1/2 cup orzo
-1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
-Lemon juice – 1 1/2 lemons
-One 12 oz. container baby spinach
-One container feta, diced (4 oz)
Directions:
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leek and celery and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, 5-8 minutes. Add chicken and broth; season with salt and pepper. Bring broth to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes.
Remove pot from heat. Stir in spinach, lemon juice and dill. Once spinach wilted, add diced feta. Serve with fresh French bread – YUM!
