Greek Chicken Pearl Couscous Soup (Printable)

Tender chicken, pearl couscous, lemon, and feta create this comforting Greek-inspired bowl.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken & Broth

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (14 oz)
02 - 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
03 - 1 bay leaf

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

04 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

→ Soup Base

09 - 3/4 cup pearl couscous
10 - Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
13 - Salt to taste

→ Garnish

14 - 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
16 - Lemon wedges for serving

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables are softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Pour in chicken broth, add bay leaf, and bring to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add chicken breasts to the pot and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through.
05 - Remove chicken and bay leaf from pot. Shred or chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
06 - Return shredded chicken to pot. Stir in pearl couscous, oregano, lemon zest, and black pepper. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until couscous is tender.
07 - Add lemon juice and season with salt to taste.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with crumbled feta and fresh dill. Serve with lemon wedges.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like you spent all afternoon tending to it.
  • The lemon keeps everything bright and balanced, so it never feels heavy even though it's genuinely filling.
  • Pearl couscous absorbs all those flavors without turning to mush, which is honestly the whole secret.
02 -
  • Pearl couscous is absolutely non-negotiable here—regular couscous will turn into soup sludge, but pearl holds its shape and texture like it was meant for this.
  • Don't add the lemon juice until the very end, because if it simmers too long it loses that fresh brightness that makes the whole soup sing.
03 -
  • The lemon zest is doing important work infusing the broth, so use a microplane rather than a box grater—it releases the oils more effectively and distributes more evenly.
  • Taste before serving and remember that salt amplifies with time, so season conservatively in the pot and let people adjust at the table with lemon wedges rather than risking oversalting the whole batch.
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