Red lentil and chicken soup
November 6, 2010 • Category: Soups
Chicken soup warms the soul, so they say. Chicken and red lentils, with a handful of rice and a squeeze of lemon is a complete meal and can be made at leisure, almost as an afterthought.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 chicken legs
- 1 1/2 cups of red lentils
- 2 lemons, olive oil as needed
- 1 onion, a few cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of thyme or zaatar
- 1/2 cup of rice
- 2 carrots, peeled
METHOD:
- Heat some olive oil in a pot and brown the chicken legs all over; remove and set aside. Brown the onion and when it is browned, add the garlic cloves and fry them for a minute until golden.
- Put the chicken legs back in the pot and squeeze the juice of a half lemon on them; rinse the red lentils briefly under tap water and add to the pot along with the carrots and eight cups of water.
- Cover the pot, bring to a simmer and skim any froth on the surface. Simmer the pot for one hour or more, until the chicken is tender and falls off the bone and the red lentils have disintegrated. Add the thyme or zaatar at this point and the rice; simmer for another 30 minutes until the rice is cooked. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side or squeeze the remaining lemons into the soup and serve immediately.
Comments
34 Comments • Comments Feed
Lentil Breakdown says:
Never had red lentil soup with chicken and rice. Looks so earthy and herbalicious! Just finished the last of a big pot of red lentil soup that I’ve eaten for a whole week. I might have to wait a few days to try this. : )
On November 7, 2010 at 12:13 am
samir says:
hi there….is this your creation?,,,Ive never heard of this dish
On November 7, 2010 at 2:53 am
Joumana says:
Caffettiera: I browned the chicken legs with the skins on; I just don’t eat them.
Samir: It is my creation; besides, I was told that nutritionally, it is much easier to absorb lentils if they are taken with rice. A Kurdish lady I knew taught me to throw in rice in the red lentil soup, I figured chicken would add more flavor (and lemon of course).
On November 7, 2010 at 9:12 am
Katerina says:
This is a really nutritious meal. I am in a soup mood too lately.
On November 7, 2010 at 4:07 am
Dajana says:
Red lentils are my favourite soup ingredient. I have to try this soup, it looks just right for me and extremely delicious
On November 7, 2010 at 5:16 am
Rosa says:
A deliciously hearty soup!
Cheers,
Rosa
On November 7, 2010 at 5:41 am
TheKitchenWitch says:
I’ve never had lentil soup with rice in it before–this recipe sounds really comforting and delicious.
On November 7, 2010 at 8:12 am
Caffettiera says:
Such a comforting dish, and I agree with you, it looks like the perfect dish to attend to while you are devoting most of your attention to something else.
Are the chicken tights skin on? Thanks!
On November 7, 2010 at 8:55 am
Jen_from_NJ says:
I have been craving a nice bowl of chicken soup. Your version looks perfect! I love the addition of lemon.
On November 7, 2010 at 9:01 am
Nadege says:
So easy to make and pretty healthy! Thanks!
On November 7, 2010 at 11:23 am
Cynthia says:
I like that your soup includes rice 🙂
I am going to try this.
On November 7, 2010 at 11:28 am
Vagabonde says:
I have some kind of a stomach “bug” I think and soups only appeal to me. Yours looks delicious, but where can I get just 2 chicken legs I wonder – my grocery stores nearby only sell them in huge packages. But I’ll copy the recipe as it sounds so good.
On November 7, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Zara says:
Hi Joumana! Your soup makes me feel hungry:) lentinls with rice is indeed a very nourishing combo!
p.s. thank you for your visit and lovely words. You’re always welcome:)
On November 7, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:
This looks like a great soup. I really should use lentils more in my cooking, they are good. I am just not in the habit. It’s a perfect soup for the fall days coming ahead.
On November 7, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Faith says:
Never thought to add rice to red lentil soup, what a great idea! I bet it’s delicious. Such a comforting meal.
On November 7, 2010 at 6:08 pm
HPD says:
I tend to get into a bit of a chicken noodle soup rut in the winter. This looks like a great way to shake things up. Cheers!
On November 7, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Diane says:
No doubt about the fact that I will try this recipe out. Yum Yum. Diane
On November 8, 2010 at 3:06 am
oum mouncifrayan says:
j’adore ce genre de soupes!!! merci joumana
On November 8, 2010 at 5:43 am
Nadji says:
Une combinaison que je n’ai encore jamais testĂ©e : riz/lentilles.
Je n’y manquerai pas.
Bonne semaine et Ă bientĂ´t.
On November 8, 2010 at 10:28 am
Oui, Chef says:
When is someone going to invent “smellavision” for the computer? I REALLY want to get a whiff of this delicious looking soup! – S
On November 8, 2010 at 11:32 am
tobias cooks! says:
I just made fresh chicken stock. Would be great to use it for this dish.
On November 8, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Juliana says:
Joumana, this lentil soup with rice and chicken sure looks very comforting…like the idea that is lighter than the usual lentil soup…SO yummie!
On November 8, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Katie @Cozydelicious says:
This soup looks fantastic! How did you know I just bought lentils today? This is perfect!
On November 8, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Jamie says:
Chicken soup does indeed warm the soul and heals all that ails you. And the addition of wonderful red lentils is perfect. A bookmarked recipe. Just fabulous!
On November 9, 2010 at 9:51 am
Tom @ Tall Clover says:
With autumn rains in full force in the Pacific Northwest and the delightful simplicity of this recipe, I’d have to say soup is on! Thanks Joumana.
On November 9, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Bren says:
Huge fan of lentils–any variety! This sounds amazing to have stashed all fall and winter long! nice to *meet* you–nice blog!
On November 9, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Doc says:
The lasgna and chicken soup look sublime. I applaud the haome made pasta sheets-It’s those things that elevate your dishes. The soup looks absolutely delicious.
Well done!
On November 9, 2010 at 8:00 pm
SYLVIA says:
This is a hearty luscious soup that tastes perfect on a cold winter evening. It has a lot of body and richness, and great modern take on a red lentil soup. I like how the chicken is swimming in the soup, this recipe is perfect for working mom, thanks Joumana.
On November 9, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Soma says:
This is a perfect one pot meal. We love our red lentil soup and often times I add sumac to it. Adding chicken and rice make it wholesome.
On November 11, 2010 at 6:26 pm
fAZO says:
Chère Joumana,
J’adooooooore ce que vous faites et votre blog est magnifique mais je ne reçois plus vos posting depuis Red lentil and chicken soup recipe, I mean since Nov, 7. Could you please what is wrong. I thank you very much – warm regards and all the best – fazo
On January 26, 2011 at 11:19 am
Jane says:
I made this tonight and it was delish!! Only thing I did different was add some fresh ground pepper and sea salt… Filling, good, and healthy!
On October 19, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Ann says:
I have been looking for this recipe FOREVER!!!! There was a restaurant that served this soup across the street from where I used to work and I would have it at least twice a week. Then we moved and I couldn’t find a recipe that looked like it was The One – they all had tomatoes. Thank you! It turned out exactly right. The guy who owned the restaurant would never give me the recipe, he said it was his mother’s. 🙂
On May 8, 2013 at 9:40 pm
Joumana says:
@Ann: Glad you finally found it! 🙂
On May 9, 2013 at 5:40 am
Perla says:
I needed something comforting yesterday and when i found this recipe i knew i had to try it . I went to the grocery store first thing in the morning today and now i have a hearty , comforting soup for dinner ! Thank you , it was much needed!
On October 29, 2019 at 12:15 pm