Chicken Lemon Coriander Soup

Chicken lemon coriander soup is a light and refreshing soup to drive your blues away. Made with fresh broth, it has the herby flavors of cilantro and the tang of lemons. Shredded cabbage adds the perfect crunch!

Course Soup

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chicken lemon coriander soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 123kcal

Author Saima Zaidi

Equipment

1 soup pot or instant pot 6-quart
2 bowls Pryex
1 sieve

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized cubes
1" piece ginger peeled, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves peeled, roughly chopped
1 bunch cilantro chopped, divided
2 black cardamom
1 star anise optional
¼ tsp black peppercorns
4 cloves
6 cups water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cups cabbage shredded
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice more if you like it extra-lemony
¼ tsp sea salt adjust to taste
¼ tsp white pepper powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes.
Chop the coriander leaves including the stems. The stems add lots of flavor, so don't discard these even if they are quite thick.
Chop the ginger and garlic roughly.
Shred the cabbage.

Cooking

Set a soup pot on the stovetop and add the chicken, ginger, garlic, coriander, and whole spices. Pour 6 cups water into the pot and bring to a roiling boil on high heat. Skim off the froth as it forms on the top. Let the soup simmer until the chicken is tender.
If using an instant pot, add the above ingredients to the steel insert, pour water, and pressure cook for 6 minutes on high pressure with a 10 minute release afterwards.
Remove the chicken from the soup and keep aside. Strain the rest of the soup in a sieve positioned over a bowl, making sure to press down with a spoon to release all the juice. Discard the solids. The chicken broth is ready.
Add cooking oil to the pot and heat it till it starts shimmering (sauté on normal for instant pot). Add the cabbage and stir fry it until it wilts but is still a little crunchy.
Tip in the chicken and the broth prepared earlier. Also add the soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, salt (if needed), and white pepper powder. Cook for 5 minutes.
Lastly, add some more chopped coriander and simmer for 2 minutes. Chicken lemon coriander soup is ready to be served.

Notes

You can also use bone-in chicken instead of boneless. You will have to debone the chicken once the broth is cooked, but it adds a ton of flavor and nutrition to the soup.
Go easy on the vinegar and white pepper if you want to cut down on the heat and sourness. Use a little less than specified, in this case.
If you feel that the soup is a little too thin, you can thicken it with cornstarch. Make a slurry by mixing 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water and add it to the soup in the last step. Stir until slightly thickened.
Add more vegetables if you want - shredded carrots and mushrooms work well.
If you don't have all the whole spices, use the ones you do have.
Substitute the white pepper for black if you don't have white pepper.

Nutrition