Lemon Chicken & Pepe Soup

A perfect easy to make dinner for the cool spring evenings expected this weekend.. a soup, salad and pasta dish in one!  The fresh herbs and lemon make it sing spring! You can make this vegetarian / vegan by using vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock and omit the added chicken and use the entire can of chickpeas to add more bulk. 

Adapted from blog: foxesloveslemons.com published on Food52 blog

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 4 scallions (white and green parts separated), chopped

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 small zucchini, diced

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 9 cups chicken stock, plus additional if needed

• 3/4 cup acini de pepe pasta (sub orzo if dont have) 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken)

• 1 cup canned garbanzo (aka chickpeas) beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

• 1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce (or sub spinach, arugula or kale) 

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 pinch Red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Preparation: 

1 In a large saucepot, heat oil over medium heat. Add scallion whites and celery; cook 1 minute or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic, zucchini, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2 Add stock, pasta and lemon zest; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3 Stir in chicken, beans, dill, and parsley; cook over medium-low for two minutes, or until chicken and beans are heated through.

4 Just before serving, stir in lettuce, lemon juice and scallion greens. If soup becomes too thick, stir in additional stock as needed. Serve garnished with red pepper flakes, if desired.