This delicious, hearty Chicken and Lentil Soup made with cilantro, cumin, and other Latin spices is perfect for warming your belly on those cold winter nights.
Chicken and Lentil Soup
What’s more, it’s easy to make, economical, and very satisfying. Lentils were the first legumes I liked as a kid. My mom would make me a similar soup with carrots and celery, and since I was picky, she usually pureed mine. Try my Instant Pot Chicken and Lentil Soup if you want to make this recipe faster. And for vegetarian lentil soups, try this Lebanese Lentil Soup and Red Lentil Soup with Spinach.
I’ve been making this healthy chicken lentil soup for years. My family loves it – Madison was even a fan when she was a toddler! I like preparing lentils because they cook so much quicker than dried beans, and a small amount goes a long way. You can also make this soup with a little less water and serve it over rice.
Is lentil soup good for you?
Lentils are complex carbohydrates packed with protein and soluble fiber. They’re low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals like vitamin B and folate. The nutritional benefits of lentils are very similar to those of beans, but they do have about twice as much iron as other legumes.
Chicken Lentil Soup Ingredients
- Lentils: I used brown lentils, but green would also work.
- Chicken: Swap the chicken thighs for chicken breasts if you prefer white meat.
- Broth: Add Better than Bouillon chicken to eight cups of water, or if you don’t have bouillon, use chicken broth.
- Aromatics: I used onion, scallions, and garlic. If you don’t have scallions, double the onion. You can also use red onion.
- Herbs: Skip the cilantro if you’re not a fan.
- Tomato: Swap the tomato for Roma or cherry tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes if they’re not in season.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and ground annatto give this lentil soup maximum flavor. Ground annatto (also known as achiote) is commonly used in Latin cuisine to add color and a subtle flavor. If you can’t find it, sub paprika or sazon.
How to Make Lentil Soup
- Combine lentils, chicken, water, and bouillon in a large pot, and bring it to a boil.
- Cover the pot, turn down the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, mince the onions, scallions, cilantro, garlic, and tomato.
- Remove the chicken from the pot, shred it, and then put it back in the soup.
- Add the vegetables to the pot with the seasonings.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 25 minutes until the lentils are soft. Add more water if it’s too thick, and adjust the salt to your tastes.
How to Freeze and Reheat Lentil Soup
This chicken and lentil soup recipe makes a big pot, which means you’ll have plenty of leftovers for lunch. If you don’t want leftovers, you can easily cut the recipe in half.
To freeze, ladle it into individual containers, label with the name and date, and freeze for up to three months. When you need a quick lunch, thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave until warm. If it’s too thick, add a little water.
Most Asked Questions
- Should I soak lentils before making soup? No! That’s one of my favorite things about dried lentils – you don’t have to soak them overnight, unlike dried beans.
- Can I make a vegetarian lentil soup without chicken? You can omit the chicken in this recipe or try my Creamy Lentil Soup.
- Can I make this lentil soup in the Instant Pot? If you’re in a hurry, make this chicken lentil soup using my Instant Pot recipe.
- Can I add extra vegetables? Yes, if you’d like more vegetables in the soup, feel free to add spinach, kale, carrots, or celery.
More Lentil Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Lentil Bowls with Avocado, Egg and Cholula
- Asparagus with Green Lentils and Poached Egg
- Creamy Lentil Soup
- Lentil Salad
- Lentils and Rice with Bacon and Egg
Chicken and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried lentils
- 12 oz 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, all fat trimmed
- 8 cups water
- 1 tbsp chicken Better than Bouillon
- 1 small onion
- 2 scallions
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium ripe tomato
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp ground annato, or Spanish paprika, or even Sazon
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot combine lentils, chicken, water and chicken bullion.
- Bring to a boil, covered over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and shred, return to the pot
- Meanwhile, in a chopper or by hand, mince the onions, scallions, cilantro, garlic, and tomato.
- Add to the lentils with garlic powder, cumin, oregano and annato and cook, covered until the lentils are soft, about 25 more minutes, adding more water as needed if too thick.
- Adjust salt to taste as needed.
So delicious and easy to make!
WE loved this stew. Made it in the Instant Pot, 25 min high pressure. Added cubed carrot and sunchoke, shiitake, kale. Served with chopped raw spinach, Mexican crema and naan. Will make again 😋
Amazing! And easy! I even added diced carrots and some squash I had lying around. A really hearty soup! ❤️
Amazing, I make this often. ❤️
Thanks. Excellent directions and suggestions for substitutions and variations.
Mmmmm. Delicious and healthy. I love your recipes Gina!
So easy and so tasty! I used a combination of sweet paprika and sazon since I didn’t have annato and it works well! I like to top with a sprinkle of feta cheese yum!
This was delicious and soul warming! Made a few mods but stuck to the main recipe-I didn’t have chicken bouillon or broth so I used 2 Goya vegetable bouillons. I added sazon and used Dominican ground oregano. I also added some carrots- put them in the chopper so they were so small no one even noticed they were in there. At the end I added adobo. Husband had a few bowls- he said next time to add potatoes (he always wants potatoes in soup). Will make again!
I’d like to know this, too, Lisa. I think I’ll try it next time! I have a smaller instant pot in our RV and not all the liquid fits.
I thought this was quite good. I didn’t have a tomato so I used canned tomatoes and added chopped celery because I had it. Another great recipe Gina.
This was excellent! As suggested, I added extra veggies: chopped carrots and celery and used a can of diced tomatoes. I used minced garlic and cut up a full bunch of scallions as I was out of onions. I also added one chopped shallot and a handful of raw spinach at the end. So filling and tasty!
I would so much prefer to use no sodium chicken stock as the sodium content is way too high!
Just in case it helps someone else – I started chopping before I realized I was out of bullion, so I had to improvise. I used one box of low sodium chicken stock (32 oz.) plus 4 cups of water and a spoonful of miso paste. Still worked great. Thanks for the recipe!
Can this be made in the crock pot?
Best Lentil soup ever!!! Even if your not watching your calories, this soup everyone will love! I make this 4 to 5 times during the winter ❤️❤️❤️
This is delicious and keeps you full for hours!!
I skipped the scallions then doubled the Onions, Garlic Cloves, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Oregano and tripled the Cumin.
I also cut back on the water by 2 cups, replacing them with a can of diced tomatoes with the juice.
To finish it off, I used an Immersion blender to give it a smooth consistency.
Very tasty and filling. I will definitely make a good. Delicious.
Are you supposed to saute the onions and garlic before adding to the lentil/water/bullion mixture? The soup tastes like I did something wrong…
Can i make this in the instant pot? And can I prep everything ahead of time and then throw it in the instant pot?
Look at this recipe https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-pressure-cooker-chicken-and/ 🙂
I found this recipe to be blah, uninspired. Not sure what I’m missing – I followed the instructions as written. Gotta think of a different to serve all the leftovers
Have you ever tried Thyme with your lentils? I love adding it to mine. Fresh or dried is what I use as my goto.
This recipe has been a staple in our house for years. It is a hit with kids and adults alike!
Yummy and healthy. This was the first time I cooked lentils.
I added some spinach and kale. Slips in extra nutrition and because of the bulk and taste of lentils even Mr. Fussy eats the vegetables. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Does it matter what kind of lentils you use? I have red split lentils. Don’t want to run to the store if I don’t need to! Can’t wait to try this.
I need to use some chicken stock. Could I use it in place of water and cut down the bullion?
This soup is so tasty! Very easy to make! The sazon really added a tasty touch.
Delicious and came together quickly. Another Skinnytaste recipe that will be a regular on my family’s table. I loved the somewhat Mexican-inspired flavor profile. Thanks, Gina!
I love this soup! What are your recommendations on freezing it and heating it later? Thank you!
This is a staple in my house. Sometimes I make it vegetarian. I always add carrots, celery and a can of fire roasted tomatoes. I also use chicken breasts instead of thighs. Comes out great every time.
Hi I am trying to add this recipe to MFP and I don’t understand how your carbs are so low when I do it it comes out to almost 3x the carbs because of the lentils. Is there something that was entered incorrectly?
This was great!!! I didn’t use the thighs, instead bought a rotisserie chicken and added shredded chicken breast at the step where the shredded thighs were added back in. I used Penzey’s chicken base instead of the better than boullion, I suspect they’re similar but not sure.
One thing I felt was missing was a little heat- I had poblano pepper in my fridge so I added some chopped at the end but in the future would add something like that to the minced veggies (or maybe a small amount of finely chopped/pureed chipotle in adobo?). I topped w/ Frank’s Red Hot when I ate it which was a great compliment if you like hot sauce.
I halved the recipe this time b/c no one in my house will eat lentils, but I will def be making another big batch & freezing for lunches!
Can I use sprouted lentils? I have a 10 oz bag…should I add whole bag?
Can this be made in the instant pot?
Can you make it in the slow cooker? Any steps that would need to change?
I have never made lentils in a slow cooker it seems to me they’d get really overcooked/mushy if you cooked it more than a couple of hours, but if you do a short cook time (like not 6-8) I would think you could def do it???
I made this soup last night. I’ve been looking for a good soup to have around for easy meals as I just rejoined weight watchers (and having the points included is such a giant help). I love it. It has a good heartiness to it as well as flavor. My husband loves it too. Perfect as we begin our rapid descent into the winter temps. Glad I made a double batch! Thanks!
Awesome!
I wonder how I could convert this to a pressure cooker recipe? Would I just use the same time as lentils would take?
This is a family favorite. It is fast, easy and delicious. I’ve made it several times and it re-heats like a charm.
Excellent! Also added mirepoix and used parsley instead of cilantro.
I put the nutritional facts into the weight watchers calculator and it says 6 points, but you have it listed as 1 freestyle point which makes more sense. Can you please let me know which is correct?
Hi Patty! Are you using the recipe builder? The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
This was no joke delicious! I sent some to a friend, and she agreed. I will be making this all winter long! Thank you Gina!
Chicken and Mushroom soup is simmering on my stove right now!
Great!
Hi Gina,
When I use the Weight Watchers calculator it comes up as 6 Smart Points VS your value as 1 point. I’m wondering how you got the 1? I know thighs have points and I thought lentils do as well.
I have enjoyed making your recipes. They are so full of flavor! I’m even enjoying different flavors than I’ve been used to my whole life. Thank you!
Do you know what the points value is? Is it 6 or 1?
don’t calculate the foods that are Zero points, depending on what WW program u r on.
I loved the original recipeand made it a lot . Can I make this in the IP like the original?
I made this soup tonight and my husband and I loved it. We used chicken breast instead of thighs and added fresh spinach at the end. In the weight watcher recipe builder, this came to 0 freestyle points per serving because of the breast instead of thighs. yes, zero points…It was wonderful. Thank you for the recipe.
Awesome!
Thanks for updating with freestyle points!
Omg, I made this soup in a crockpot today and it was delicious!! Threw everything together and cooked on low all day (about 9 hours). When I got home I removed the chicken, shredded it, and threw it back in the pot. Absolutely delicious.
Hi..can I use ground chicken and if so, at what point should I add it?
Eating this soup as I type! Delicious! The next time I’ll throw in some whole carrots and chunks of celery, and call it chicken and lentil stew. Finish it with a few drops of herb vinegar and fresh herbs, sprinkle some shredded cabbage on it for crunch and I’ll be eating HUGE for minimal WWpoints.
You add shredded raw cabbage at the end of cooking, or even just on top of your bowl of soup?
Can you use broth instead of boullion??
Sorry for previous post—that’ll teach me to leave iPad unattended. I love this soup, though!
Wonderful.
Just fabulous
Great
Cool
Rad
Meh
This soup is easy and delicious! I actually made it for my grandma (minus most of the spices) and she can’t get enough of it. My grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease and the aids often struggle to get her to eat. This recipe allows her to get healthy lentils, protein from the chicken, veggies from the diced tomatoes. She enjoys it with a Challah roll which she will often dip into the soup. She cannot get enough. I am actually making her a triple batch for the freezer tomorrow so her aids always have it on hand for her!
I love reading this!
My elderly grandma loves Gina’s Creamy Tomato Soup (https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-creamy-tomato-soup/ ) and also can’t get enough of it. And her aides also have trouble getting her to eat, so I make big batches of it for her freezer as well. I am also bringing her some of the lentil and chicken soup to see how she likes it. Fingers crossed!
Gina, thanks for keeping our Grandmas well fed! <3
Aww love this! <3
agreed!!! my mom is always making skinnytaste soups for my grandma and freezing in individual portions for healthy meals. healthy and easy to modify GF because she has celiac. thank you gina for always providing our family with healthy options!!! my husband is also OBSESSED with this paritcular soup.
can i use precooked lentils? saw them at Trader Joes…..
This was delish! My modifications because I didn’t have these ingredients… Used regular chicken bullion (1/2 cube), regular paprika, canned chicken.
The cumin flavor really comes out but isn’t too much. Will definitely make this again! Thanks Gina!
You’re welcome Jenna!
Is the recipe the same using chicken breasts?
I used canned chicken and it tasted great!
I have made this recipe so many times. It’s so tasty,, healthy and cheap to make. My kids love it too. I haven’t made it in a while but I just bought the ingredients to make it tonight, all came out to less than 10 dollars minus a few things I already had like cumin. Cheap especially in California. I do add a lot more cumin than the recipe asks for though. I love cumin.
Hi! Is there a crock pot adaptation for this recipe available?
Thanks!
Made this tonight with chicken breast, it was so easy and tasted great! Just love that it is only 1 smart point on the new WW Freestyle!
I made this with ground turkey and Italian sausage instead of chicken because that’s the meat I had on Hand. Used chicken broth instead of water, but everything else as written. Very delicious!! Will be making again.
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used lean turkey sausage removed from casing and browned with onion . I’m not a fan of chicken thighs . I used 2 links of Shady Brook Farms Lean turkey sausage. It has a fat g count of 9 grams per link and 2 links were used for 8 servings which would mean about 2 gr per serving not sure how this affects WW points but one thigh according to what I read has 9gr fat you used 12 oz of chicken thighs and I used 6.5 ounces of turkey. So I think I’m at most the same or less than you figured for WW. Calculations are not my thing LOL So help am I correct? No this is not a duplicate
used lean turkey sausage removed from casing and browned with onion . I’m not a fan of chicken thighs . I used 2 links of Shady Brook Farms Lean turkey sausage. It has a fat g count of 9 grams per link and 2 links were used for 8 servings which would mean about 2 gr per serving not sure how this affects WW points but one thigh according to what I read has 9gr fat you used 12 oz of chicken thighs and I used 6.5 ounces of turkey. So I think I’m at most the same or less than you figured for WW. Calculations are not my thing LOL So help am I correct?
How is this recipe twice the calories as the one in the pressure cooker? The ingredient lists are nearly identical and serving size is the same.
Let me look into this..
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You can add squash to the lental soup as well as medium salsa or hot according to you taste,with strips of taco to garnish.Beside chicken you can also use tilapia,beef stew or small meatball.Let your imagination run and you can create a wonderful meal
I just made this for dinner and it is super easy and delish! I added a cup of shredded carrots and I blended half of the soup 🙂
I made this last night and found that it was an excellent starting point. However, for our taste, it needed a lot more flavor. Lentils tend to soak up seasonings, so this was pretty bland until I added 2 tbsp chili powder, another 1 tsp of cumin, a dash of cayenne and plenty of S&P. After I served it, I realized that a little lime juice probably would have been helpful as well. I enjoyed the soup after all the additions! It is nicely filling, and of course the lentils are a great healthy source of fiber. Good stuff!
I just plugged this into my WW app and it gavery me 7 Smart points. Is it because dried lentils versus cooked lentils?
Has anyone tried to make it in a crockpot? I’m thinking of just putting all the ingredients in and letting it sit for 6-8 hours.
What do you think?
Curious if you made this in a crockpot?
I recently made this in a crockpot and it was amazing. The only changes I made were chicken breasts instead of thighs, and I substituted a can of chopped tomato instead of a fresh one. It cooked for about 9 hours while I was at work. When I got home, I shredded the chicken and put it back in the pot. Delicious!
Just wanted to say I made this over the weekend in the InstantPot and it turned out like glue. I’ve made it on the stovetop before and it’s normally wonderful. Not sure what went wrong with the InstantPot, but I tossed most of it out.
Not sure, it came out perfect for me?
Gina, can you use chicken broth to boil lentils and chicken instead of Better Than Bouillion? Just noticed it has milk in it. My little one has an allergy to milk.
Love all your recipes! Healthy and they taste great. This site has been so helpful to my family because my son is allergic to wheat dairy egg peanuts etc. You have so much that works for us or I can tweak. Thank you!
Should be ok!
I just love this soup. I make it and freeze it in lunch size portions. I am on Weight Watchers and this fits in to my daily plan. Thank you Gina for another awesome recipe.
Glad you like it!
Since a few of you were concerned regarding the NI, I went back and checked. I used lentils from the USDA and the NI did go up. The NI now listed in the recipe is correct. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
When I entered all the ingredients into MyFitnessPal it shows this is over 400 calories a serving. A one pound bag of lentis is 1500 calories. How did you get your numbers?
I now see the discrepancy: I think the issue is the nutrition info for dry lentils varies quite a bit, so not sure what’s right, so I’ll just try to be conservative.
Do the lentils need to be soaked before cooking them?
I boil for 20mins before adding to recipe without any salt. I do this because I don’t like hard lentils. They do not need to be soaked
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe, I have just worked out the calories per cup and it comes to 372 per cup ?? How did you get the calorie per cup so low ?
I agree. The calories appear WAAAAAAY off on this recipe. Depending upon what you check this is anywhere from 275 to 320 calories per serving.
I just put this into the recipe builder and I got 5sp per serving.
If you change it to 12 servings instead of 8, the sp goes down to 4sp. How did you get it down to 3sp?
I’m Canadian and have never heard of Better than Boulion. Can I use something else?
We have it in Canada. Most grocery stores have it, usually in same area as oxo one other bouillon cubes. Comes in a jar,
So fresh! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂 I make your recipes all the time.
Can I make this without the chicken
You can, or you can try this one https://www.skinnytaste.com/creamy-lentil-soup/
La la la loved this recipe. Never had lentils before trying this recipe and man was I missing out. Even my boyfriend loved it. Actually cooking this again tonight. Thank you for another awesome recipe
This was delicious…I used leftover Pheasant meat from your https://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore.html that I made…it worked great…I just added the pre-cooked meat after the initial 20 minute cook time…I cut the reicpe in half and what we didn't eat I have in the freezer for another tasty meal…made for "What's on the menu" tag game…TeresS
Gina I usually don't use a lot off salt in my cooking so when making your seasoning mix what can I do with the salt so it is not the number one ingredient?
I have to watch my salt so I just make Gina’s sazon w/o the salt. Have used it many times w/good results.
I made this for dinner last night and it was excellent. Even better for lunch today! I followed the recipe exactly and used my instant pot. The liquid thickened up as it cooled and so it was delicious over rice. Thanks for another great recipe!
I put the recipe stats into the Weight Watchers calculator and it came out as 3 smart points instead of the five you have listed. Very yummy made with homemade chicken stock!
I thought this looked sooo yummy, but it was just terrible. I didn't have better than bouillon so I used 8 cups low sodium chicken broth and extra salt. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly.
This was probably the blandest soup I have ever made. After it simmered close to an hour, I went back and added more seasonings (doubled the seasonings in total) and hoped for a miracle in the fridge.
The next day I had a small bowl for lunch and it was very lightly flavored, but I had the most foul smelling and loud gas. Never again.
There is no substitute IMO for Better than Bouillon. Using low sodium broth is even worse as it tastes like water plus has that horrible after taste and adds nothing to the flavor. Try the recipe again when you get the right ingredients. Gas occurs when lentils are not cooked long enough (as with any bean). You might try this with other lentils (yellow) but cook thoroughly and use the right bouillon. I have all three Better than Bouillon (vegetable, chicken and beef) and never make a soup or stew without them.
Do I use a whole packet of Sazon or just 1/4 tsp?
I forgot the better than bullion at the store…..what can I use instead?????
Any boullion or even salt
Made this for dinner. It was so good – even my husband loves it. Thank you!
I just made this soup and added the lentils with the chicken, but your recipe states adding them again with the spices as well? My lentils are nonexistent, I hope it's still good!
It is cnfusing. When do we add the lentils?
Can i use yellow lentils?
I don't see why not…try it
What happened to the old recipe? I despise chicken thighs. This has made me sad. 🙁
Such a great recipe, thank you. I put just a tiny dash of allspice, it was fantastic. Amybeth Hurst, Portland, ME
Looks delicious and healthy. Thank you!
Where have you been all my life? Glad to find your site.
cc~
This soup is delicious! Even my boyfriend loved it. I substituted turkey ham for the chicken and left out the cilantro because of personal taste. I also added more onion than called for. It turned out great! It's super filling too, and makes plenty of leftovers for lunches or last minute dinners.
For those wanting to refer back to the original 2009 recipe, I've typed it out from my copy and posted it in the My Fitness Pal forums. I wanted to have it documented somewhere in case I lose my copy. If you go into their forums (Community) and do a search for "Skinnytaste Lentil", the post should pop up.
I've made this soup twice now and it's been a big hit both times! I typically hate thighs but they work great for soups! I omitted cilantro for parsley and it was great!
Mmmmm- delicious! Added spinach and siracha and used 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 water, and it is great! Thanks so much!
This is fantastic. We are on a HPLC diet and this fits in perfectly especially with the calorific values that you've given. Thank you so much Gina. 🙂
I just have to tell you how much I love this soup. I've made it four or five times now and freeze what we don't eat. Thanks for the recipe!
Made it last night and it was amazing! Some changes: started with a sauteed mirepoix (onion, celery, carrots) before adding the broth/chicken, used fire roasted canned tomatoes instead of fresh, used dried cilantro, and could only find thighs w/ bone and skin so I skinned them pre-cooking and took the meat off the bone when I was shredding the chicken. Gave it a little blend w/ the immersion blender at the end, and served w/ jalapeno cheddar cornbread. Soooo good!!
Could this be made in a slow cooker. If so for how long would it need to cook?
This is on the stove right now and my house smells amazing! Didn't use cilantro, added carrots and a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh. Can't wait to eat it!
This was delicious! We added a couple splashes of hot sauce and it was a great addition.
just made this. it was a huge hit! my husband who hates lentils had an entire bowl! really yummy recipe!!
This was really really delicious and so easy and quick to make.
Ive made this several times and just love it! I sub chicken breasts for the thighs…..use 8 cups of vegetable broth, adding in chopped carrots, celery and a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes. Its so good, Im making it tonight for our New Years Eve gathering!
i made this in my crockpot last night and it is amazing!!! i used chicken breast and sazon. cooked it on low for 8 hours. it is the best lentil soup ive ever made
Yum! Yum! Made it tonight and loved it. Made it in the crockpot.
I made this soup and LOVE it!! I am a lifetime Weight Watchers member and Gina's recipes are all great. I served this soup to company for lunch and they asked for the recipe. I hooked them up with Skinnytaste. Keep up the good work, Gina.
This is one of the best soups I've made from Skinny Taste! Delicious, filling & healthy. Also, so easy to make!
Soy fan de las lentejas su receta es fantàstica me encanta sobremanera,abrazos.
Made this the other night and oh my goodness it's delicious! I have had leftovers and am getting ready to eat them for lunch. We recently had a lot of snow, and it is still super cold here, so this is PERFECT. Super filling and SUPER comforting..thanks so much for your recipes! It's very tempting when it's cold out to gorge on fatty foods, but you provide an alternative that is seriously just as yummy. I always look forward to going home and cooking your recipes at the end of the day..it is such a joy to be able to provide healthy and delicious recipes for my husband and friends. Thanks again! 🙂
Made this yummy soup last night; used red lentils. Recipe is a keeper! Very good for you! Even my picky son ate it! Thanks for the great recipe!
I don't eat dark meat chicken- would this still taste good with chicken breast? If I used the breast, how many should I use- 1 or 2?
I used two chicken breasts when I made it last week!
I made this last night. Fantastic! And very filling.
I'm very sad that I never wrote down the old recipe. The old was 3pp. Now 5pp and chicken thighs. I despise chicken thighs! The old recipe was perfect! Anyway to tell me the old recipe? The one in my recipe box changed too. Im wicked bummed. =(
I also dislike thighs, but in this soup they work so well. It is worth giving it a try.
I really really don't like Cilantro. Would it make a big difference if I omitted it?
Such a good recipe for these cold an snowy days. Great stuff to warm us up.
I made this for dinner tonight. It was the perfect end to a lovely snowy day! Hearty, flavorful, easy and so filling! I'll certainly be making this again!
Just made it and it was awesome!! Substituted chicken stock for the water and bullion. Also, I put a dollop of light sour cream for a point+ and it was worth it.
I used to think "blech" when I would see lentil soup…not anymore, this is delicious! Thanks again for another yummy recipe! 🙂
I'll be making this for our snowy Sunday dinner!
Found this recipe while looking on Pinterest for a chicken and lentil recipe. While I won't be making this exactly ( at least not this time, but likely next time), your recipe will help me use up a left over roadt chicken and my over abundance of lentils. Thank you!
Found this recipe in my inbox this morning. I had all the ingredients, so put it together and then went to my Weight Watchers meeting. What a wonderful soup to come home to, especially on such a frigid night. Thanks for another great recipe.
I made this today and it was really really good – even my 13yo daughter, who doesnt eat soup, tried it and had two bowls. Definitely recommend and will make this again and again!
I just made this today for lunch and boy is it delicious! I LOVE the Progresso canned lentil soup so I was a little leery of trying this recipe – because why mess with a good thing? Plus, how easy is it to just open a can? But the addition of chicken and cilantro to lentil soup forced me to say what the heck and take off in a mad dash to the local grocery – and oh, how glad I am! This soup was Ah. May. Zing. Also,if it were any easier my 6 year old could make it (it literally took me 10 minutes of actual work to make.) Thank you so much Gina!
For variety, add some apple cider vinegar (or red wine or any other kind of flavorful vinegar) toward the end of cooking, or a spoonful once it's served. Some tomato paste (1 Tablespoon or so) while it's cooking, along with a bit of brown sugar, will give you some new flavors. One of my faves. Great work, Gina!
Yummy! We Indians call this `dal' and its an everyday staple. It's never ever made with chicken though, so this is an interesting twist. To make leftovers fun – fry up some onion, garlic and tomatoes, add the leftovers, whizz it in a blender and serve with a dollop of plain yogurt. Dal and yogurt are a match made in heaven!
is chicken Better than Bouillon the same as chicken stock?
Gina, I would love to try this but can't stand large amount so of cilantro (i.e. 1/4 cup), so is there something else that you would recommend as a substitute? Thanks!
I would think parsley would work instead.
I just moved and the evenings are a lot colder than what I'm used to. This soup sounds perfect for a evening on the couch with the fireplace roaring and a good movie. Thanks Gina!
Hi Gina,
What type of lentil did you use in this recipe?
I love lentil soup but I never though to add chicken. I can't wait to try this! I think I'll try it in my crockpot…I love having dinner ready when I walk in the door from work.
Love your site as always!
This soup looks soo good. I got a good while without tasting a soup like this, perhaps I should try to make it. Thank you!
Gina,
The spoon in the picture – is that Oneida Coronation silver plate? It looks like my mom's old wedding pattern.
Does it matter what kind of lentils you use? I have red lentils in the cabinet.
I love making this recipe of yours! I'm a big fan of your original version – would it be possible for you to still post the original recipe somewhere?
I love the original recipe as well. I printed it a long time ago but would love to have it online somewhere in case I lose mine.
Such a good recipe for these cold an snowy days. Great stuff to warm us up.
This soup looks so easy and delicious. I'm gonna make it in the crockpot 🙂
Hi Martha, can you please post how you'd do it in the crockpot? I was thinking the same thing.. i'm thinking low for 6-8 hours, but would that make the lentils "mushy?"
How have I not seen this before? Most of my meals come from your site. Lentil soup is one of my favorite, go-to meals and this will be a great new twist. Have you played around with different veggies? I can't imagine lentil soup without spinach, so may add it. Just in time for the cold snap!
I can't wait to make this soup. My mouth is watering already!
anything else I could use besides cilantro?
parsley?
This is one of my favorite recipes of your to make when it's cold and rainy out. I love it! And it's very nostalgic. Mi abuelita used to make a dish with a very similar taste con pollo y lentejas. Thanks so much!
I love lentils and will trying this soon! It looks delicious
!
hi gina – instead of the 8 cups of water and 1 tbsp bouillon, could i use low-sodium chicken broth and water? maybe 4 cups of each or how would you divide? thanks!
Excited to try this. I actually just picked up some lentils this past weekend and was beginning to look for a recipe!
This soup looks so fantastic!
I love lentil soup & made some the other night….loosely following this recipe. I didn't, however, boil the lentils (and no chicken, i am vegetarian). Anyway, I had to throw it out because although it tasted DELISH it made me gastastic! Anyone have any idea why? Perhaps I am just sensitive to lentils?
Lentils are a bean and if they're not cooked all the way, can play hell on your system.
I always borderline over-cook my beans since a disasterous encounter with under-cooked edamame. :/
I love lentils, but it never occurred to me to add chicken. Yum!
Made this yesterday can't wait to have some today. I didn't have cilantro on hand so I used some of my home made sofrito. I cheated and used Trader Joe's steamed lentils.
Is this 3 points on points+ – if I'm reading the title of the recipe correctly?? Thanks!
No that was the old points.
Hey what are the points plus for this recipe?
The info is all above the recipe
What if I use ready made broth instead of bullion..how many cups would I need?
8 cups
I'm excited to make this this weekend! I'm really confused on the points though… Under nutritional info, it lists this as 2 points, but the title says 3. Users said that they plugged it in to the calculator and got 6 and 8 points. Huge differences, can you please clarify?
Cooked this last night and am eating it again now for lunch- it is amazing! I am 3 for 3 now for your recipes turning out wonderfully, I think I am hooked to your site. Thanks for your work! 🙂
You said 3 small chicken breasts I have some already shredded from a previous meal how many oz would you say that be..
Another winner Gina! I don't know what i would do without you! Thank YOU!
Gina, points plus value. Your heading says 3, recipe says 2?? Thanks Mary
i just cooked this soup. looks and tastes Perfecto!!! oh forgot to tell – i cooked with red lentil and in cast enamel pot. So delishes!
i adore you site, Gina <3
Mad this for this week's lunch – I don't care that it's close to a hundred degrees here either. I'm going to eat and enjoy! Thanks for a great recipe, Gina!
**Made
Hi Gina – I discovered your sight earlier this year, after joining WW for the first time and love your recipes. Super helpful that you include the points plus value – Thank you!! I made this recipe over the weekend and both the BF and BFF loved it! Great flavor and so easy to make. We went a bit unhealthy and ate it with a fresh crusty baguette (just a small piece for me, of course) and it was perfect! Can't wait to try others!
Gina, How could I translate this to a crock pot recipe?
This is tasty – thank you for your recipes! I love that your recipes are Weight Watcher friendly. I refuse to lose weight eating boring food! 🙂 Just a note – I ran this through recipe builder and came up with a Pts. Plus value of 5. Still a bargain for a healthy and filling soup. Thanks!
Made this for the first time tonight. Used some leftover rotisserie chicken and added some baby potatoes. This is probably the best soup I have ever made, and the best lentil soup i have tasted!!!
Just finished cooking this soup and it smells incredible in my house! So flavorful! Have never used sazon seasoning and cannot wait to use it in other things.
Made this tonight and it was great!! Used boneless breasts that I cooked separately in the crockpot beforehand and then shredded. Also used broth instead of the bouillon and ended up having to add more since it was thick. Also pureed it with an immersion blender before adding the chicken or the onion mixture. Made the texture a little more kid friendly. Thanks Gina!
This soup is delicious! I made it this evening and it turned out wonderfully. It looked nothing like your picture, but maybe that's because I made my own Sazon after I had no luck finding it.
Either way it was tasty, hearty and kid approved. I came across your site while looking for a healthy dessert option for a New Years party and I've been making your recipes ever since.
Thank you for all of the cooking inspirations!
First of all, I LOVEEEEEE your site — your recipes are delicious and have been my go-to source for menu ideas. My husband is now on a first-name basis with "skinny taste." 🙂
On this recipe — I'm getting 5 points when I put it the Points calculator…am I doing something wrong???
I was wondering, if you omitted the chicken what would the points/calorie content be? Thanks!
I have made this soup four times in the last month and still can't get enough of it!
Thank you so much! No need to apologise haha! Can't wait to make this!
Sorry, 3 chicken breasts, on the bone.
This looks lovely! just a small question, might sound stupid. But what are breast halves? Would that be one breast and the half of another or am I completely off the mark here? I really want to make this but I want to make sure I don't go overboard with the calories!
OK my daughter and I just devoured a bowl of this stuff. It tastes like it has been cooking all day! Absolutely delicious and SO quick and easy! Thank you once again for making Weight Watchers, and healthy eating in general, such a pleasure! Thanks to your family too for "testing" the recipes first! 🙂
Cristy & Kimberly
It came out to six points per serving when I threw it in my recipe builder. I don't care…it's delicious!
I ran this through the new Points Plus calculator and it came out to 5 points per serving if you do 8 servings. 🙂
I made a batch of this tonight and it was spectacular. I'm a big lentil fan, and I fell in love with sazon thanks to your delicious pollo sabroso recipe, so this was a perfect pairing for me. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Making this today, thanks to you! I've been in the mood for this soup, one of my faves!
Wonderful recipe!!! I left out the tomato, used 4 cups of fat free/reduced sodium chicken broth and 1 bullion, made my own Sazon (avoiding MSG), and and about 1.5 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken breasts (which probably adds a point per serving?).
I am on day 3 of Weight Watchers and found your site through Google. Love it!!
no problem, i was just scoping this recipe when i saw the question. 🙂
@vlo- Thanks for answering, that sounds right.
sazon is salt, garlic,cumin, coriander, and annato. the annato can be omitted because thats basically just for color. i would just mix all those spices together in equal parts and use 1 to 2 tsp of it to equal a paket of sazon. idk maybe gina has a better suggestion.
can sazon be substitued for another spice/seasoning?
Your recipes are fantastic! I tried this one today, and the flavor of the finely chopped scallions and garlic was just what I needed today! Thank you for all your recipes!
I knew you would love this!!!
Gina you have done it again!!! This was so easy I am beginning to fool myself than I can cook haha!!! This makes enough to freeze half and bring to work for lunch and won't everyone be jealous!!
The crockpot mellows the spices so you always have to add more seasoning to it. Glad you liked it.
I cooked this on low in my crockpot today. Very tasty…could use a little salt and pepper, but delicious! Thanks for the recipes!
did you add all the ingredients at once?
How long/on what level should it be cooked in the slow cooker?
Yes, please share your crock pot version!
@carrie, wow you never had lentils! Glad you liked it for trying it for the first time. I love lentils.
Made this tonight and have never had lentils before. OMG this is fantastic! I used sazon by goya, it is available at walmart in the latin section. Great recipe!
Made it today and yum! So healthy. How much you would say is 10oz. cup wise? Congrats on your beautiful baby.
Seeing as a cup is 8 oz, 10 oz is 1.25 cups.
@ Pod- I love this soup! Thanks for the comment!
This soup looks tasty. I'm going to try it. I find myself coming back here for cold weather food. And love the blog.
I've never tried it in the crock pot, but I'm sure it can since dried lentil dont take as long to cook as dried beans. I would probably cook it 6-8. Let me know how it comes out if you do use the crock pot.
Can this be cooked in a crock pot? For how long?
Another delicious dish!!! Can't wait to make more of your recipes. I've tried the roasted chickpeas . . . amazing, black bean salad . . . awesome and many more. Thank you so much for posting. It is making weight watchers easier for me.
Charlene
Wow, this is a different twist on the lentil soup that I usually make! I love the addition of chicken and Sazon. This looks like another winner, Gina!!!
This. Looks. Fantastic! I love lentils, and adding chicken and Sazon (one of my favorite things!) is just genius!
I love that lentils don’t have to be soaked overnight. This can also be made with slightly less water served over rice!
Great looking soup Gina. Love how fast it is!!