We don’t know who needs it, but we recently made the most notable healthy lentil chicken soup using bone-in chicken thighs, lentils and veggies. Among its many talents – it’s high-protein, high-fiber, warming and it’s packed with flavor. We loved it and everyone we've served it to loved it as well, so we guess it is a thing now.

Unlike other chicken soup recipes, the broth for this one is tomato- and paprika-based. It is SO tasty and made enough for 3-4 people. We know lentil chicken soup isn’t a “classic”, but it is good for your health and your taste buds.

Ingredients For The Lentil Chicken Soup

So here’s what you need to make the soup:

boneless, skinless chicken thighs
cooked lentils (or pre-cook some brown or green for 10-15 minutes – bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes; they don’t need to be fully cooked, as they will keep cooking in the soup with the rest of the ingredients)
bell pepper
tomatoes
carrot
onion
potato
zucchini
garlic
parsley & basil / fresh herbs
olive oil
tomato paste
paprika
curry powder
oregano
water or stock

How it comes together

Now that you’ve got everything ready, it’s time to make chicken soup with lentils! Here’s what your talented hands need to do:

Sauté the onion, bell pepper, carrot and tomatoes with olive oil, curry powder, paprika and oregano for 3-4 minutes in a cooking pot.
Then add in the chicken (whole boneless skinless thighs), potato, the pre-cooked lentils, the water/stock as well as salt and pepper (make sure you add enough salt if using only water for the broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 30 minutes.
After thirty minutes, take the chicken out using a fork or a ladle, or both, to “fish it out”. Then place it onto a plate or in a bowl and shred it, using two forks or if you wish, use a fork and a knife to cut it into bite-sized pieces. When you’re done, add the shredded chicken back to the soup.
Cook for 5 more minutes, then add in the zucchini, some fresh parsley or basil as well as garlic, salt and pepper to taste and let cook without a lid for 5 more minutes. If you desire to make the lentil chicken soup thicker, add in some more tomato paste, for a more brothy soup, add water or stock.

How To Serve And Store

You can serve the soup as is or enjoy it with some bread. Or you can do what we did and add some healthy toppings to it like more fresh herbs, more fresh bell pepper and some olives. Avocado is also a great option.

To store leftovers, just let the soup cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. We prefer to reheat on the stove, but if you have a toxic incubator aka a microwave you can use that too.

Lentil chicken soup

Yield: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

12oz/340g chicken thighs, boneless skinless
2 cups cooked lentils (or 2/3 cups dried lentils)
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup potato, thinly chopped
1 onion, thinly chopped
1 carrot, thinly chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped + (some for garnish)
2 tomatoes, thinly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups water or stock (or as needed)
bunch of parsley / basil
salt and pepper

Method

If pre-cooking the lentils: Add dried soaked lentils to a pot with water and salt (you'll need 2-3 cups of water). Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes and drain. This is enough time, as we'll be cooking the lentils with the other ingredients in the soup for an additional 30-40 minutes.*
Sauté the onion, bell pepper, carrot and tomatoes with olive oil, curry powder, paprika and oregano for 3-4 minutes at medium-high heat in a cooking pot.
Then add in the chicken (whole boneless skinless thighs), potato, the pre-cooked lentils, the water/stock as well as salt and pepper (make sure you add enough salt if using only water for the broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 30 minutes.
After thirty minutes, take out the chicken using a fork or a ladle, or both to "fish it out". Then place it onto a plate or in a bowl and shred it, using two forks or if you wish - use a fork and a knife to cut it into bite-sized pieces. When you're done, add the shredded back to the soup. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Cook for 5 more minutes, then add in the zucchini, some fresh parsley or basil as well as garlic, salt and pepper to taste and let cook without a lid for 5 more minutes. If you desire to make the lentil chicken soup thicker, add in some more tomato paste, for a more brothy soup, add water or stock.

Notes

*You could also add the dried lentils to the soup, but for some the tomato paste might prevent the lentils from cooking completely. We used pre-cooked lentils and they didn't get too mushy in the soup.