
Photo by Heidi Harris
Lemon Chicken and Chickpea Soup is bright with grated ginger and strips of lemon rind balanced with earthy chickpeas and mushrooms.
Elevate your chicken soup with the fresh, clean flavors of lemon and ginger.
This is the perfect soup for a small winter gathering by the fireside.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 large stalks celery, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, diced
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- Rind of 1 lemon
- 2 chicken breasts, bone-in
- 24 ounces chicken stock
- 48 ounces water
- 3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces mixed sliced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup whole wheat Orzo
- 2-inch piece of rind from Parmesan Cheese
Directions
1 | Remove the skin from the chicken breasts and set aside.
2 | In an 8-quart stockpot sauté the onion, celery, shallot, garlic, and ginger on medium heat until fragrant – about five minutes. Add the lemon rind, chicken breast, stock, water, one can of chickpeas, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for two hours uncovered.
3 | In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the mushrooms and the additional two cans of chickpeas. Add the rind of cheese during the last five minutes of cooking – stirring well.
4 | While the soup simmers, cook one cup of orzo in well salted water until al dente. Drain the orzo in a colander and swirl in a small amount of olive oil to keep it from sticking. Set the orzo aside to cool completely before adding it to the soup.
5 | Remove the bay leaves and lemon rind, and adjust the flavor of the soup with additional salt if needed before serving.
See more of Joseph’s crowd-pleasing soup recipes!

By Joseph Marini
Photography by Heidi Harris
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of Entertaining (SparkPress, 2023).
“I’m often asked why I love entertaining so much. It took me a long time to understand the answer to this. Fitting in, even sometimes within a family, can be difficult. By entertaining, I was allowing myself to be vulnerable enough to be seen for who I was. It allowed me to create a group of family and friends that would truly see and appreciate my authenticity. I now realize the rewards of living intentionally and opening up m home (and heart) to bring people together over food.”
Buy the book and enjoy more recipes and entertaining tips!