By Loraine Fick

When you think hearty, delicious simmering soup, you don’t usually think “this will ready in barely more time than it takes to microwave a burrito!” But this savory soup can be assembled and cooked so quickly you can whip it up any night of the week. The trick is slow-cooking the chicken while you’re at work or off on a ride.

I got this recipe from my manager Stephanie. She has dozens of really stellar soup recipes up her sleeve, but this is the one her kids will eat every bit of, every time. Her genius addition is raw spinach, which cooks in a minute and makes this a one-pot wonder. I’m a little new to the soup game … who knew feta could make such a creamy, flavorful broth! And who made up couscous? I’m a fan of anything that cooks in 5 minutes.

Drum roll please …

Greek Feta Lemon Chicken Soup

Ingredients

8 ½ cups chicken broth
3 TBS olive oil
8 cloves garlic minced
1 sweet onion
1 large lemon, zested (and you’ll use the juice too)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 or 3 big ‘uns)
1 cup couscous
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta (I use more like a cup)
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
Bag of fresh spinach

Put the chicken breasts in a slow cooker with ½ cup of chicken broth. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. (If you have an Instant Pot, it’s way quicker.) When the chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to pull it apart into shreds while it’s still warm.

Place the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slice the onion into thin strips and sauté it along with the minced garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften.

Add the chicken stock, shredded chicken, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper to the pot. Squeeze lemon juice directly into the pot.

Raise the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the couscous, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes.

Stir in the crumbled feta cheese, then add handfuls of fresh spinach. The spinach will wilt and cook in about a minute. Ladle into bowls and garnish with lemon slices if you like.

Loraine Fick is a writer and low-carb food experimenter with a love for animals and cake. Her greatest challenge is a short attention span, and her greatest strength, at least foodwise, is a desire to share recipes that are good and good for you. Follow Loraine’s blog at Spoonfully – Adventures in Low-Carb Cooking & Baking.