Description
This comforting chicken lentil soup combines tender red lentils, aromatic spices, fresh vegetables, and juicy chicken in a rich, golden broth. Perfect for busy weeknights when you need something nourishing and delicious fast.
Ingredients
The Basic Stuff:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (whatever’s cheapest)
- 1 big onion, chopped up (doesn’t have to be perfect)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (or that pre-chopped stuff in a jar)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste (those little cans that cost too much)
Spice Cabinet Raid:
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika (regular paprika tastes like nothing)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (probably expired but whatever)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (makes it pretty)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
The Rest:
- 1 cup red lentils (orange colored ones from the health food aisle)
- 2 big carrots, sliced (thick chunks are fine)
- 6 cups chicken broth (the cheap kind works)
- 2 cups shredded chicken (buy the rotisserie one, don’t be a hero)
- Cilantro if your family doesn’t hate it
Instructions
Get your pot hot and dump in the oil. Add the chopped onion and let it cook until it’s soft and golden, maybe 5 minutes. Don’t crank the heat up because burnt onions ruin everything and you’ll have to start over.
Throw in the garlic and stir for like a minute. Don’t leave it alone or it’ll burn and taste bitter. I learned this making spaghetti sauce and had to order pizza instead.
Add the tomato paste and dump in all the spices – paprika, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper. Stir this around for 2 minutes and try not to cough from the spice cloud.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip this even if you’re rushing. This 2 minutes is what makes it taste like you didn’t just dump stuff in a pot. I used to skip it and wonder why my soup sucked.
Pour in the lentils first, then carrots, then all the broth. Crank the heat up and get it bubbling.
Turn it down so it’s barely bubbling and stick a lid on it. Set timer for 20 minutes and go deal with whatever chaos is happening in your house. The lentils will start dissolving and making it thick.
Add the shredded chicken and stir until it’s hot, couple minutes. If it’s straight from the fridge it might take longer.
Taste it and add more salt because it probably needs it. Mine always does. Put cilantro on top if people will eat green stuff.
Notes
Go easy on salt at first because you can’t fix oversalted soup. My mom tried adding potatoes once and it was still terrible. If it gets thick sitting in the fridge, just add more broth when you heat it up. Sometimes I stir in coconut milk at the end because it makes it fancy and my kids think I’m a good cook.
Buy rotisserie chicken every week. Use it for this, sandwiches, whatever. Cooking your own chicken is too much work and this tastes better anyway.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1⅓ cups
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 8g
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 45mg