Springy Lemon And Chicken Meatball Soup Recipe

The arrival of spring means warm days, cool nights, and a desire to leave behind the heavy foods of winter in favor of something lighter. This soup, filled with garlicky, herbal chicken meatballs floating in a light broth infused with bright lemon, is both hearty and light, a perfect dish for this time of year.

The star of the dish is, of course, the meatballs. Ground chicken is combined with breadcrumbs and beaten egg to lighten the texture and bind it all together. Parsley, pepper, and oregano give the meatballs a delicious, aromatic quality, with the garlic providing just enough zing to enliven the palate. 

But, no soup is complete without a wonderful broth. The broth in this soup is started traditionally with onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to give the broth a wonderful aroma, but the unique flourish comes at the end, where parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice combine to give it a bright and herbal flavor perfect for a springtime dinner. Thickened and made more hearty with a handful of rice, this soup is sure to delight both in the vernal season and the rest of the year.

For the meatballs, you will need ground chicken, salt, pepper, oregano, breadcrumbs, garlic, and parsley. To finish the soup, you will also need onion, carrot, celery, chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and a bit of garlic and parsley. Once you have brought all of these ingredients together, you're ready to start rolling meatballs and making yourself a delicious pot of soup.

Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until uniform.

Grab a bit of the meatball mixture and roll it between your hands to form a ball about the size of a large marble. Set these on a plate.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot to medium-high, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Fry the meatballs, turning occasionally, until they are browned on all sides, around 6–8 minutes total.

Once browned, remove the meatballs to a clean plate.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot and toss in the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and begin to brown, around 5 minutes.

Add the broth and rice to the pot and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Return the meatballs to the pot and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with minced parsley and freshly ground black pepper.

Lemon juice and lemon zest both find their way into many recipes because of their unique flavors and ability to add brightness and aroma to what might otherwise be a drab dish. In this recipe, we employ both lemon zest and lemon juice in order to capture the full range of lemon flavor, but what do each of these ingredients actually deliver?

Lemon juice is used primarily as an acid in cooking, providing a sour flavor and a touch of lemon flavor. It is nearly as acidic as vinegar, making it usable as a 1:1 substitution in many recipes that also adds a uniquely bright flavor to the dish. The acidity and brightness of lemon juice is a wonderful way to balance soups and add a layer of complexity. However, when it comes to aroma, lemon juice falls far behind lemon zest.

Lemon zest is the shaved outer peel of a lemon, a portion of the fruit that is full of lemon oil. If you have ever twisted a piece of lemon peel between your fingers, you have likely seen the little spritzes of oil that come from the pores all over the fruit. This oil is highly aromatic, adding the essence of lemon to a dish without adding any of the acidity of lemon juice. When you wish to add lemon flavor without increasing the acidity, lemon zest is a perfect choice.

When selecting the perfect ingredients for a dish, it can be difficult to decide between flat-leaf and curly parsley. Each of them has unique characteristics that suit particular recipes, but which one is the right choice?

It may surprise you to learn that flat-leaf parsley is actually the same herb as Italian parsley. This variety is known for its strong, herbaceous flavor, sometimes even drawing comparison to other herbs like oregano and basil. When you want to add a strong, herbal flavor to a dish, flat-leaf parsley may be the right choice.

Curly parsley is delineated from flat-leaf parsley largely by its shape, but it does also differ in flavor. Curly parsley has smaller leaves and a bunched look. It is wonderful as a decoration or garnish, but the unique flavor is also highly prized. Curly parsley is slightly lighter in flavor, often being described as fresh or grassy. If you are looking for a light freshness or a beautiful garnish, curly parsley may be the best choice for your dish.

In this recipe, we opted for curly parsley to add a freshness to the meatballs and the soup while still keeping the flavor profile light. However, if you want more of an herbal kick, flat-leaf parsley makes a great substitution. If parsley doesn't strike your fancy, you could even substitute it with another herb, such as cilantro, basil, chervil, or even celery leaves.