This lemon chicken couscous soup is such a simple, comforting dinner recipe. Making homemade stock on a weeknight can be daunting, but this recipe keeps it easy!
It’s been a rainy, dreary week, and there’s nothing I crave more than chicken soup on a rainy day. I’ve made my fair share of chicken soup recipes, but this one hit a little differently. Maybe it was the limited number of ingredients that still delivered big flavor. Or that it was so easy to make a homemade stock on a weeknight. Regardless, this one is going on the regular rotation for when I need a comforting, nourishing bowl of soup relatively quickly.
The best part about this lemon chicken couscous soup is that you need just a handful of ingredients:
- Chicken thighs
- Herbs or aromatics for the stock (parsley, dill, chives, onion, garlic, or a mix)
- Celery and onion
- Seasoning salt; use your favorite! I used fennel salt, but lemon pepper, garlic pepper, or a spicy seasoning salt will be delicious!
- Pearl couscous
- Fresh dill
- Lemon
That is IT! You can really modify this comforting dinner recipe in any number of ways. Throw in extra vegetables, like carrots or potatoes. Fresh or frozen peas with dill would also be delicious. You can replace the pearl couscous with rice and adjust the cooking time as needed.
The only thing I recommend is not using chicken breasts for the broth. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will give you the richest and most comforting homemade chicken stock in the shortest amount of time. If you work from home. start the stock two hours before you plan to cook dinner.
To garnish the soup, I recommend something crunchy. I used Ami Ami Savory dukkah-inspired blend, but some saltines or oyster crackers would be lovely on top. Fresh dill and a glug of extra virgin olive oil are also great ways to finish the soup.
If you made this recipe and loved it, please leave a comment below! Take a pic and tag me on Instagram so I can feature you!
Lemon Chicken Couscous Soup
Equipment
- Large pot with lid
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Water
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 4 ribs celery with leaves trimmed and diced
- Cancale seasoning salt to taste or use garlic pepper, lemon pepper, herbes de Provence, or your favorite seasoning salt
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- ⅓ cup fresh dill roughly chopped, plus more for serving
- 1 lemon juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Dukkah oyster crackers, or saltines for serving
- Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the stock:
- Place the chicken thighs in a 3.5-quart pot. Season all over with salt and place the parsley sprigs on top. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the cover, remove the chicken from the pot, and transfer it to a bowl. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard the parsley sprigs, wipe out the pot, and return it to the stove.
- Remove the skins from the chicken thighs and discard. Pick the chicken from the bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Transfer the meat to the bowl of broth. Discard the bones.
Start the soup:
- Heat the olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes until it softens. Add the Cancale or your favorite seasoning salt and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Simmer the soup:
- Add the pearl couscous to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and chicken. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the couscous is tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Finish the soup:
- Add the fresh dill and lemon juice to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
To serve:
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with dukkah or oyster crackers and serve with fresh dill scattered on top. Drizzle each bowl with a touch of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
This recipe is fantastic and super easy. Making it for the second time tonight. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoy it! It’s one of my favorites too!
How much water should I use?
Hi, I recommend using enough to cover the chicken by about 1 inch. It will depend on the size of your chicken thighs. Just make sure they’re fully immersed!