Description
This Spiced Chicken Lentil Soup is the perfect blend of cozy and bright, bringing together tender shredded chicken, hearty lentils, and creamy butternut squash. Warm spices add bold, layered flavor, while a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end makes each bowl sing.
A new go-to cozy dinner for cold nights—just add crusty bread for the ultimate winter comfort food!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (can sub olive oil)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt, to season
- 3 medium carrots, peeled if desired and diced
- 1–2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- ½ medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and diced into ½-inch cubes (approx. 4 cups or 20 ounces)
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- optional: ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 dried bay leaves
- two 14-ounce cans crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 ¼ cup brown or green lentils (see Recipe Notes)
- 6 cups chicken broth/stock
- 2 cups packed shredded kale (can sub 5 ounces baby kale, spinach)
- 2 lemons, juiced
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (at least 5-quart capacity with a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat. Season the chicken with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt. Add the chicken to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Soften the aromatics and bloom the spices: To the same pot, add the carrot, celery, onion, and butternut squash. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables have softened slightly. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, and cayenne (if using) and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Build and simmer the soup: Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, lentils, and chicken broth/stock to the pot, stirring to combine. Nestle the chicken breasts into the vegetables. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, partially cover the pot (leave the lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape), and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.
- Finish the soup: Remove and discard the bay leaves. Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and shred them into bite-sized pieces with two forks. For a creamier texture, you can transfer ⅓ of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth before returning it to the pot. (Alternately, use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup right in the pot.) Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the kale and lemon juice, cooking until warmed through. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve: Ladle the chicken lentil soup into bowls, garnish with chopped fresh herbs and a swoosh of olive oil if desired, and serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Best Lentils to Use: Brown and green lentils are ideal for this recipe as they hold their shape and texture well during cooking. Avoid red or yellow lentils—they cook faster and tend to disintegrate, which can lead to a mushier soup.
- Lentil Prep: Unlike many other dried legumes, lentils don’t require soaking before cooking. To prep, sift through the lentils to remove any small rocks or debris, then rinse well to clean the surface.
- 20-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this chicken lentil soup comes from prepping the veggies. Take care of it in advance and you can jump straight in to cooking during the week: dice 3 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 large yellow onion, and ½ butternut squash, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Storage, Reheating, and Freezing:
- Storage and Reheating: This chicken lentil soup is incredibly meal prep/make-ahead friendly—its flavors get better the longer it sits! To store, transfer cooled soup to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freezer Instructions: Chicken lentil soup is also incredibly freezer-friendly. Transfer the cooled soup to a freezer container (or divide between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or, for a quicker thaw, submerge the freezer container in room temperature water. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through, thinning it out with a splash of water or chicken stock as needed.
Alternate Cooking Methods:
- Slow Cooker/Crockpot Chicken Lentil Soup: Prepare the chicken and aromatics as described in Steps 1-2. Transfer everything to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients from Step 3. Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours, stirring occasionally. Finish the soup as described in Step 4, directly in the slow cooker if possible. If your slow cooker has a browning/searing feature, you can use it to complete the entire recipe (Steps 1-4) in the slow cooker.
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Chicken Lentil Soup: Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté” and cook the recipe according to Steps 1-2. Add the remaining ingredients as directed in Step 3, then cover and seal. Cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to “venting” to release any remaining pressure. If the soup is too liquidy, use the “Sauté” setting to simmer it down before finishing as directed in Step 4.