Creamy Chicken Couscous Soup.
This creamy chicken couscous soup is a delicious and cozy comfort food, perfect for chilly winter days. Creamy and light, but satisfying at the same time, this is a soup that is in rotation all year long.
Another quick soup is on the menu today!
I love making a quick and easy soup for lunch and dinner – and this creamy chicken couscous soup is crave worthy!
Yes, it’s basically another way that we love to eat chicken noodle soup. You know that I’m a huge fan of couscous, whether it be as a side dish, as the base for a grain bowl – it’s wonderful. Maybe my favorite ingredient to use for salads and more!
This chicken couscous soup has a rich parmesan broth with carrots and celery, lots of shredded chicken and a big cup of couscous poured in towards the end.
Oh my gosh. It’s creamy. So delicious! Easy and simple and a nice way to change things up.
This reminds me a lot of my chicken and stars soup. A tiny cut of pasta, a spritz of lemon, lots of fresh herbs – the flavor profile is similar. This soup is creamier and has a more hearty feel on a spoon. And it is so.freaking.good.
Do you know what it also reminds me of? My chicken soup risotto! The orzo sucks up a lot of the broth and this almost becomes a “stoup.” It is so thick and creamy and that increases as it sits. The leftovers can actually be scooped out and served like a side dish – soup bowl required – because it’s so thick and creamy.
In a good way, of course!
There are a million recipes out there for GOOD chicken soup. So I’m not going to bore you with the details, but I’ll share a few tips that make the soup excellent for me.
First, a parmesan rind! Can’t make soup without it. Cut the rind off your parmigiano-reggiano cheese (or buy a container of rinds at the grocery store) and toss it right in the stock pot. Simmer the soup with the rind in it to get the most delicious savory, rice broth that is heavy on the parmesan flavor.
Next, a spritz of lemon juice. This is key at the end to balance the flavors. It adds some brightness and also tastes incredible.
Finally, a good stock is also key here. This is where all your flavor is going to come from!
If I don’t have my own on hand, I love using the organic one from costco. You just want to be sure that your stock has a lot of flavor – and that you season the soup with salt and pepper accordingly!
This is a bowl we can eat over and over and over!
Creamy Chicken Couscous Soup
Creamy Couscous Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 ½ cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 5 to 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 parmesan cheese rind
- 1 cup uncooked pearl couscous
- 1 cup milk or half and half
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, plus more for topping
- parmesan cheese, for topping
- lemon wedges, for spritzing
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large stock pot over medium-low heat. Add in the onion, carrots, celery and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper - I’d say at least ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to start. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften. Stir in the garlic cloves and italian seasoning. Stir in the shredded chicken.
- Add in 5 cups of chicken stock and the parmesan rind. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Stir in the pearl couscous. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the couscous is done, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Fill a shaker cup with the milk. Add the flour to the milk and shake the cup for at least 30 seconds. Stream in the milk slurry while stirring. Bring the soup back to a simmer and let it simmer for 5 or 10 more minutes as it thickens.
- Add in the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Taste the soup and if it needs more salt and pepper, add it (it will need it!). If the parmesan rind didn’t melt entirely, you can scoop it out at this point. You can also decide if you’d like to add the additional cup of chicken stock here - it depends on how hearty or how brothy you like your soup. The couscous will soak it up as it sits!
- Serve immediately with a lemon wedge for sprinkling, parmesan cheese for topping and parsley sprinkled on top.
Did you make this recipe?
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8 Comments on “Creamy Chicken Couscous Soup.”
do you have to add milk?
Made this for lunch as we are home for a snow day and I have the ingredients. This is really good and just what I needed after shoveling the driveway! Very comforting and great flavor.
I saw this on an IG post and knew I had to make it. Rotisserie chicken makes it so simple. It’s just the perfect bowl of soup for these cold days. Took about 15 mins to prep and a half hour to cook. Don’t skip the lemon juice it brightens it right up!
This sounds like a winner! We love couscous…and also chicken soup. I never thought to put them together. Thanks for the great inspiration! :)
This was absolutely delicious and perfect for a winter meal. A win with the whole family! I think I would also enjoy making it sans the cream and couscous, but adding those helped to make it a little more substantial. Already packed it for my lunch for the next 2 days! I shared the recipe with my next door neighbors and they are making it tonight as well!
So good! Loved the addition of couscous instead of noodles. I did double the chicken, so it was a little thicker, but still very delicious!
Loved this soup. This recipe is a keeper!
This looks amazing! Definitely making it this week!