Lemon Chicken Soup

With friends coming over for supper tonight, I text them to ask whether lemon chicken soup sounded good or gross. It's one of those things that sounds weird but like it might work. They decided it sounded good, so I made this recipe from How Sweet Eats, modified since I couldn't find the bone broth she used.

Verdict? It was good. My soup simmered a bit longer, so the lemons were tender and actually tasty enough to eat with the soup. It was a bit weird but in an enjoyable way. I also topped mine diced preserved lemon, which adds another element of lemon flavor. (Beware, though. After tasting a preserved lemon, my one friend said with a wrinkled nose, "This tastes exactly like Pinesol smells." Preserved lemons are not intended to be eaten straight up unless you really like Pinesol.)

Lemon Chicken Soup
2 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp. freshly grated tumeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Zest of one lemon
3 cups shredded chicken
1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups chicken bone broth
Garnish
Chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, basil or cilantro
Grated cheese like Parmesan
Preserved lemon, diced

In a large pot, saute onion, carrots, celery and garlic in butter 5 to 10 minutes until softened. Add in ginger, tumeric, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Add in remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 to 40 minutes.

Garnish each bowl with fresh herbs, cheese and preserved lemon if desired. Serves 6.

Note: I used a Spanish manchego for topping the soup and also tossed the rind into the soup while it was cooking for extra flavor.