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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Lemon Chicken Quinoa Soup with Spinach

    Published: Apr 6, 2015 · Modified: Jun 2, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    This easy lemon chicken quinoa soup is packed with fresh spinach leaves and has a bright, bold flavor. Use leftover or rotisserie chicken in this healthy soup for a quick shortcut!

    An overhead shot of a bowl of lemon chicken quinoa soup garnished with a lemon round next to a small bowl of grated Parmesan and a pepper mill

    This may be the soup equivalent of spa water. You know, that luxe, fruit-infused water that makes you feel like a healthy superstar, even if all you're doing is just drinking a glass of water?

    It checks all the boxes when you're looking for a substantial yet lighter meal, and bonus: when you have leftover cooked chicken you'd like to use up.

    By my count this is the third chicken soup recipe on here, with all three bringing very different flavors to the table. And none being classic chicken noodle soup - ha!

    My easy chicken tortilla soup is on the lighter end of the spectrum with the nutritious addition of brown rice, and it calls for cooked chicken for a dinnertime shortcut.

    Then we have creamy chicken and rice soup, which has my favorite, very unexpected blend of two pantry staple spices that totally makes it. I use a roux here to bring the creaminess which takes it out of the 'healthy soup' running, but oh man, what comfort food this is.

    Soup ingredients like spinach, chicken, quinoa, etc. in separate ceramic bowls on a marble board

    And now this soup. Its bold citrus flavor pairs up nicely with some of the traditional elements of chicken soup (broth-based, chicken, carrots, celery), with a hefty addition of spinach and quinoa (instead of rice or noodles).

    Fresh ingredients

    An easy chicken broth base is brightened up with fresh lemon juice and a mix of vegetables, including celery, onion, carrots, and fresh spinach leaves.

    We also have a little garlic added to the sautéing vegetables near the end of their cook time (because I'm hard-pressed not to add garlic to savory dishes).

    Next we have a mix of chicken broth and water, dry spices, a bay leaf, and the quinoa. The quinoa cooks right in the soup, so there's no need to dirty up a separate dish. Of course, if you happen to have leftover cooked quinoa on hand, you can instead add it in towards the end.

    A big ceramic soup pot filled with soup and garnished with three lemon rounds

    Once everything is brought to a simmer, the quinoa will take around ten to twelve minutes to cook. Cooking quinoa in broth is one of my favorite ways to give it an extra oomph flavor-wise in general, and that same trick works here as it fluffs up in the soup.

    This quinoa soup may be a little thick at this point, so you can add extra broth and/or water if you like.

    Now's the time to add cooked chicken and the spinach. Let everything simmer as the chicken warms up and the spinach wilts.

    A ladle full of soup being lifted out of the pot of soup

    While you can technically stop there and have yourself a nice chicken quinoa soup, I *highly* suggest stirring in some fresh lemon juice. I usually use about two big lemons or lemon medium sized ones. It adds such an amazing flavor here that makes this soup bright and spring-y.

    One other highly recommended tip for serving: grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese. We didn't eat soup without a heavy dusting of it growing up, and that remains true today.

    A bowl of soup with a spoon ready to serve

    Recipe notes

    • Using the meat from a rotisserie chicken is my usual move here, but any kind of cooked or grilled chicken works just fine.
    • Kale can be used instead of spinach, though you'll have to add it sooner into the cook time as it needs more time to tenderize.
    An overhead shot of a bowl of lemon chicken quinoa soup garnished with a lemon round next to a small bowl of grated Parmesan and a pepper mill

    Lemon Chicken Quinoa Soup with Spinach

    This easy lemon chicken quinoa soup is packed with fresh spinach leaves and has a bright, bold flavor. Use leftover or rotisserie chicken in this healthy soup for a quick shortcut!
    4.50 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 243kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
    • 2 celery stalks, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
    • 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
    • 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
    • 3 cups water, plus 1-2 cups additional if needed
    • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 cups packed baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
    • 2 ½ cups cooked, shredded chicken
    • Juice of 2-3 lemons or to taste
    • Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, for serving
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Let cook for 4-5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring a few times. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
    • Add dry quinoa and stir. Let quinoa toast for 1-2 minutes, then add chicken broth, 3 cups of water, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and bay leaf and stir to combine.
    • Bring soup to a simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the quinoa is fully cooked. You should notice the quinoa germ ring (that little squiggle) has separated from the kernel. Add additional water and/broth, up to 2 cups, if soup has thickened too much.
    • Add cooked chicken and spinach and stir. Simmer for several minutes until the spinach leaves have wilted and chicken is warm. Remove bay leaf and stir in lemon juice to taste. Add additional salt/pepper as needed. Highly recommended: serve with a heavy sprinkle of grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.

    Notes

    Start with the juice of two lemons and taste to ensure the soup is lemony to your liking. Three lemons worked perfectly with our taste buds.
    When serving leftover portions, you may wish to add additional chicken broth/water and lemon juice if the quinoa absorbs a little too much of it and you'd like extra lemon flavor.
    This soup would lend itself nicely to a variety of fresh herbs, such as thyme, depending on what you have on hand. The lemon juice brings a bold flavor, but otherwise this recipe has wiggle room for customization.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.2g | Protein: 23.8g | Fat: 5.9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 624mg | Potassium: 556mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 2.2g | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2.7mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer

     

    Soup recipe adapted from Food Network.

    New pictures added June 2020 with just a slight zhush to the recipe (added celery and bay leaf).

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    Comments

    1. Suzi says

      September 21, 2018 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      Made this soup last night and it is SO DELICIOUS! I substituted 1 cup chopped leek for the onion since it's what I had in the house and it was perfect! Thank you for the recipe - I will make this again and again...

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        September 21, 2018 at 8:52 pm

        So glad you liked it, Suzi! Subbing in leek for the onion sounds like a great swap. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Joanie says

      August 09, 2018 at 12:49 pm

      5 stars
      I just love the lovely lemon flavor in this soup, it's wonderfully subtle and so delicious. I made this soup the other night and my husband and I loved it. This is a soup recipe we will be enjoying year round.

      Reply
    3. Bec says

      August 09, 2018 at 11:52 am

      5 stars
      I've been on a huge quinoa kick lately, especially since I can cook it in 1 minute in an Instant Pot! Adding this recipe to my weekly rotation because I always have a rotisserie chicken in my fridge!

      Reply
    4. Patra says

      November 12, 2016 at 9:27 pm

      Love the soup! Last time i made it, the soup became thick the day after. I want to prepare this a day ahead for a luncheon. Should i add the quinoa the day of? Thanks.

      Reply
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