Lemon, Chicken and Farro Soup
This lemon, chicken, and farro soup is hearty and wholesome!
January is unofficial soup month at our house, because it’s all I want on cold chilly nights. I admit I can be a bit boring when it comes to making soups, and I usually stick to a few staples like chili or chicken noodle. This lemon, chicken and farro soup is a fun spin I put on my typical chicken noodle soup, and I’ve completely fallen in love with it! I swapped the noodles for farro, added some brightness with a little lemon, and left the rest as is.
This chicken soup is so filling, hearty, and delicious, and an awesome healthy option when you need a bowl of something cozy.
How to Make this lemon, chicken and farro soup
This soup is so easy! All it takes is a few easy steps:
- Season chicken (you can use breasts or thighs) with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.
- Cook onions, carrots, celery and garlic in the chicken juices for optimal flavor.
- Return chicken to the pan along with chicken broth, lemon zest, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper.
- Add farro and simmer.
- Shred chicken and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Cooking with farro
Are you cooking with farro? It’s one of my favorite grains (this farro with chicken, kale, and coconut “salad” is what got me hooked) and I’ll use it often in place of rice or other grains in soups, salads, or grain bowls. Farro is an ancient grain that is similar to barley after it’s been cooked. It’s an excellent source of protein, fiber and nutrients like magnesium, zinc and some B vitamins. More info on farro here.
While you can cook it in liquid until the liquid has been absorbed (like rice and other grains), I always cook it in a pot of boiling water like pasta until al dente, about 20 minutes. This method plus its chewy texture make it perfect for soups! That chewiness will keep it from getting soggy during cooking and reheating.
Other soup recipes
If you like this lemon, chicken, and farro soup you might like these other cozy recipes:
- Potato and Leek Soup with Italian Sausage
- Easy Weeknight Chili
- Ham and Lentil Soup
- Easy Chicken Ramen Soup
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Lemon, Chicken and Farro Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken , can use breasts or thighs
- 1 small onion , chopped
- 2 carrots , chopped
- 2 celery stalks , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup farro
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in heavy pot over medium high heat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Brown chicken, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.
- Add remaining olive oil to pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until softened and just start to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, thyme, and browned chicken to pot.
- Zest the lemon and add zest to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and then add farro. Simmer for 20 minutes until farro is tender.
- Chicken may be cooked through before 20 minutes are up, depending on the size or your breasts or thighs. Check with an instant read thermometer (chicken is done at 165°), or by cutting chicken open to see if it's cooked through. When chicken is done, remove from pot and let cool slightly, then shred.
- When farro is tender, add shredded chicken back to pot. Add juice from half of the lemon. Taste soup, and if desired, add more lemon juice and/or salt. Serve hot.
I made this today and absolutely loved it! I used the juice of a whole lemon and loved the citrusy zing, as well as the heartiness of the farro. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yay! I think the brightness of the lemon is one of my favorite parts too. So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this over the weekend and it was delicious! Light but filling. This will be in regular rotation for weekend lunches now. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy to hear you liked it, thanks for the feedback!
This recipe is SOOO easy to make, and delicious to eat. I like that I can choose the number of servings for the recipe (so no guessing).
Ingredients are minimal, and the order to cook this helps develop the flavors.
This soup was a huge hit at our quilt retreat and everyone has asked for the recipe ~
(I read a tip on farro, that you can put it in a food processor (before cooking I think) so it isn’t so farro-e, if you’d prefer.) If you don’t want to cook chicken breasts, you could easily substitute a roasted chicken from the deli at the grocery store.
This soup has become an all time favorite.
Easy to prepare ~ minimum ingredients, and most everyone can eat this.
It is quite popular at our quilt retreats because it is so easy to make.
I’ve even purchased a whole roasted chicken to use instead of the chicken breasts called for in recipe
Added a can of Roasted Tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and parsnips. It was wonderful.
This soup is so easy to make and is great for our (quilting) retreats, but is quick to make for a hearty family meal. I pair it with a tossed salad, and homemade rolls. Yum, yum!! I’ve purchased a whole roasted chicken to cut up and put in soup, making the assembly go even faster. It is a fan favorite I am always asked for the recipe. It is one of my go to soup recipes, and I almost have it memorized!