Lemony Chicken Quinoa Soup

I know, it's May and I'm posting a soup recipe. But it's still a bit chilly here in the Northeast, especially at night. And even though this is a soup recipe, it's a very springy recipe - light, healthy and full of lemon and herbs.

I was inspired by two things - a package of chicken I defrosted to cook that night as well as a recipe I first saw on Pinterest for a Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. The link took me to the blog Damn Delicious and my mouth was watering after looking at the amazing pics.

I read through the recipe and decided to use it as inspiration. Below is my adaptation of the recipe using quinoa instead of orzo, as well as several other changes to make this a light and healthy soup.

Lemony Chicken Quinoa Soup
Loosely adapted from: Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 1.5 Tbsps olive oil
• 2 boneless chicken breasts (or thighs); cubed and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/2 sm onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/4 bag of baby carrots, chopped (about 1 c chopped)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 c dry quinoa
• juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Directions

• Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat
• Add the chicken and cook until done; about 4-5 minutes; transfer to a bowl
• Heat the remaining oil in the pot and add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots; sauté 3-4 minutes until tender.
• Add the thyme and rosemary; stir
• Add the chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a boil and then cover and let simmer until the quinoa has cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pot and add the lemon juice. Stir.