This recipe came from: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/greek-lemon-chicken-soup/2/
*Pic 1 - https://www.aspicyperspective.com/greek-lemon-chicken-soup/2/
My Variations from Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe. And, I added some lemon juice (because it seemed absurd to me that a recipe with "lemon" in the name only had zest in it!).
General Thoughts: I wasn't quit sure what to expect from this one... Would there be chicken? Sure... Would it be lemony? Probably. Would it taste Greek (whatever that is)... Maybe? But, I had seen a lot of similar recipes lately, so I figured we'd give it a go...
Right off the bat, prep was a cinch! Chopping the onions and shredding the chicken was really all it took (and my friend, Lisa, shredded the chicken in two shakes with her electric beaters; like this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utn4rqfogIE). Genius!
*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it
You guys know how thrilled I am when I find a soup that is easy to make AND tastes good; this soup was definitely the former, but was it the latter? YES! I found this soup hearty for such a brothy soup, and it had some strong flavor. Surprisingly, however, that flavor was not overwhelmingly lemony, even after I squeezed a lemon into the pot. Also, while I could taste the feta, I am not sure I would characterized the flavors as "Greek," any more than I would have characterized last week's Dill Pickle Soup as "Polish." Yes, yes, I understand the origins and inspirations for recipes and their ingredients often give these things their names, but I digress...
The soups that are among my favorites are those that are pleasing to more than one sense... It if looks good, smells good, tastes good, and even "feels" good, I am the happier for it, as any foodie should be! This one had that kind of wide sensory appeal. For example, if you are someone who enjoys a variety of different textures in your food, a different "feel" in every bite, then this soup will be a treat for you! I loved the way that each spoonful I took offered a little crunch from the onion, some meaty firmness from the chicken, a bit of pasta-like bulk from the couscous, a free-flowing broth... YUM!
We coupled this soup with a beautiful and tasty Greek salad that Lisa made, and some fresh loaves of sourdough bread and... υπέροχος!
Potential Improvements? Even good soups can often be improved by a couple of choice tweaks, but this one was pretty solid as-is... The next time I make this, I think dicing the onions a bit smaller (rather than cutting them in strips) may be a bit better. Also, while it wasn't necessarily a problem for me, a couple of the folks I fed with this one suggested that they'd have enjoyed it more with rice than the pearl couscous. Finally, while I rather enjoyed the shredded chicken, someone also suggested dicing it instead.
You guys know how thrilled I am when I find a soup that is easy to make AND tastes good; this soup was definitely the former, but was it the latter? YES! I found this soup hearty for such a brothy soup, and it had some strong flavor. Surprisingly, however, that flavor was not overwhelmingly lemony, even after I squeezed a lemon into the pot. Also, while I could taste the feta, I am not sure I would characterized the flavors as "Greek," any more than I would have characterized last week's Dill Pickle Soup as "Polish." Yes, yes, I understand the origins and inspirations for recipes and their ingredients often give these things their names, but I digress...
The soups that are among my favorites are those that are pleasing to more than one sense... It if looks good, smells good, tastes good, and even "feels" good, I am the happier for it, as any foodie should be! This one had that kind of wide sensory appeal. For example, if you are someone who enjoys a variety of different textures in your food, a different "feel" in every bite, then this soup will be a treat for you! I loved the way that each spoonful I took offered a little crunch from the onion, some meaty firmness from the chicken, a bit of pasta-like bulk from the couscous, a free-flowing broth... YUM!
We coupled this soup with a beautiful and tasty Greek salad that Lisa made, and some fresh loaves of sourdough bread and... υπέροχος!
Potential Improvements? Even good soups can often be improved by a couple of choice tweaks, but this one was pretty solid as-is... The next time I make this, I think dicing the onions a bit smaller (rather than cutting them in strips) may be a bit better. Also, while it wasn't necessarily a problem for me, a couple of the folks I fed with this one suggested that they'd have enjoyed it more with rice than the pearl couscous. Finally, while I rather enjoyed the shredded chicken, someone also suggested dicing it instead.
Polling the Fam: I really liked this one, especially enjoying the textural journey, and would definitely make it again. Lisa suggested rice, and said it wasn't as lemony as she'd expected, but that she also really, really liked it. Jayson, likewise, said it wasn't as lemony as he thought it'd be (a good thing, in his opinion!), and it needed a bit more salt, but he went back for seconds, which he didn't expect. Becky liked it the least in our group, citing the different textures as the biggest turn-off for her, and she added that (in contrast to what Lisa, Jayson, and I all thought) it was too lemony for her. Andrew said he liked the couscous and wanted more of it. And, Hunter agreed that the soup was really good, even if he doesn't share Andrew's views on couscous.
Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)
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