This Chicken Lentil Soup is ultra-comforting and easy to make in one pot. Ready in under 45 minutes, every spoonful is packed with hearty lentils, diced chicken, warm spices, and vegetables.
Every bite of this Chicken Lentil Soup will leave you feeling comforted and nourished. Sure, it’s healthy, but the cozy flavors, hearty lentils, and juicy chicken will keep you going back for bowl after bowl.
This easy chicken and lentil soup has everything you love about classic chicken soup (including my healthier Chicken Quinoa Soup) but packs a punch thanks to the addition of warm spices and plenty of veggies. Plus, it’s a breeze to make in only one pot and is ready to eat in about 45 minutes total. It’s the ultimate chicken soup!
Recipe features
- A one-pot healthy chicken lentil soup that’s ready to eat in under 45 minutes!
- Healthy, nourishing, satisfying, and full of flavor. It looks healthy, but doesn’t taste like it!
- It has great dynamic flavors thanks to warm cumin and smoked paprika.
Ingredients
Lentils - The best lentils for this soup are green or brown lentils. They hold their texture well when cooked and are loaded with protein (almost 18 grams per 1 cup). Red lentils don’t work as well because they turn to mush when cooked for too long (save them for this Red Lentil Soup instead).
Chicken - I made this recipe with diced chicken breasts, but boneless or bone-in chicken thighs or chicken legs will also work well (you need to shred the bone-in chicken before serving the soup). You can also use leftover boiled and shredded chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken to make the process even easier (stir pre-cooked chicken into the soup in the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking).
Vegetables - Onion, carrots, celery, and garlic not only add substance to the soup but provide a baseline of savory, comforting flavor. Spinach is added at the end, but you can use kale instead.
Chicken broth - Or use vegetable broth or bone broth.
Spices - Cumin and smoked paprika bring subtle heat and smoky flavors to the chicken soup. Feel free to use regular paprika if you don’t have smoked. Turmeric would also be a welcome addition, giving the soup a gorgeous golden hue!
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Saute the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, saute the onion, carrots, and celery until soft. Finish by adding in the garlic, salt, smoked paprika, and cumin.
Step 2: Add the chicken and lentils. Stir the lentils, diced chicken, tomatoes, and broth into the pot.
Step 3: Simmer. Bring the soup up to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking until the lentils are tender.
Step 4: Finish with the spinach. Stir the spinach into the soup and cook until it’s wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste, then ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Remember to rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve under running water before you get started.
- Bulk it up with even more vegetables, like diced potatoes, leeks, or squash.
- Omit the chicken or use plant-based chicken to make vegetarian lentil soup instead.
- A can of full-fat coconut milk stirred in at the end would give the soup a luscious, creamy consistency.
- Simmer the soup with 1 or 2 bay leaves and serve with cilantro on top for extra layers of complex flavors.
- Get the soup on the table in even less time by cooking the green lentils and chicken 1 or 2 days ahead of time. Simmer the soup for 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in both when you add the spinach. Cook until they’re heated through and the spinach is wilted, then serve.
Do you need to soak lentils for chicken soup?
Soaking lentils for 4 hours or overnight can make them easier to digest because it neutralizes the compounds that cause bloating (lectins and phytates). However, it isn’t a necessary step for this recipe.
Can I use canned lentils instead?
Sure! Just stir them into the soup when you add the spinach.
Can you make this in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can easily make chicken and lentil soup in a crockpot instead. Saute the vegetables in an oiled skillet until soft, then transfer them to the bowl of a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients (except for the spinach). Cook on High for 4 to 5 hours or on Low for 7 to 8 hours.
Stir in the spinach in the last 15 minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve.
Storing
Refrigerator: This soup is a great healthy meal prep option because the leftovers store well in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: The leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the individual portions thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
More healthy soup recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Chicken Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 carrots diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1.5 cups green lentils rinsed
- 1.5 lb. chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 14 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes with their juices
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 5 oz. spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, then add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté for 6 minutes, or until soft. Then, add the garlic, salt, smoked paprika, and cumin and sauté for 1 minute.
- Pour in the lentils, along with the diced chicken, diced tomatoes, and broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until the lentils are cooked, about 25 minutes.
- Last, stir in the spinach until wilted, then add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Tracy says
I made this for dinner tonight and paired it with a salad and crusty bread. Absolutely delicious and I’ll add it to my dinner rotation! The liquid evaporated a bit but it was still awesome. Any suggestions for adding back in some liquid without weakening the flavor?
Erin says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Honestly, I'd just add more broth to start.. perhaps 6.5 cups and that should do the trick.
Terrell says
How much approximately is 1 serving?
Erin says
Approx. 1.5 cups
Jason says
Hello
How big is the serving per the nutritional information. Thank you.