033 / 75 · Cook Once, Keep It Interesting

Roasted Garlic Chicken and Red Lentil Soup

About 3 quarts/2.8 liters soup plus 6 slices of bread · Active 25 min · Cook 50 min · Total 1 hr 5 min

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Roasting a whole head of garlic changes the direction of a chicken and lentil soup. The cloves become soft enough to mash into the broth, giving it a rounded savory base without a cream sauce. Red lentils partly dissolve around pieces of chicken and carrot, so the soup feels generous rather than thin. The bread is included in the six stated portions; it is useful for sweeping up the last thick spoonfuls, not an unspecified extra beside a bowl.

Jump to ingredients

Roasted garlic chicken and red lentil soup with whole-wheat bread.

Roast while the pot gets started

The garlic takes longer than a few chopped cloves would, so begin it first and use that oven time to prepare the onion, carrots and chicken. Roast it in a small covered dish, keeping the cut surface moist with the measured oil. Soft, pale-golden cloves are the goal. Deeply burnt tips taste bitter in the finished soup and should not be scraped into the pot.

Two ingredients, two doneness checks

Red lentils become tender relatively quickly, but chicken pieces still need their own temperature check. Add the lentils first, then the evenly cut chicken, and simmer gently rather than letting the broth boil hard. When the chicken is safely cooked, the lentils should be very soft. Their breakdown gives the soup its body; there is no need to blend the pot or remove the vegetables to obtain a smooth base.

A soup that changes in the fridge

This batch will be noticeably thicker the next day. Lentils absorb liquid during storage, so judge the texture after reheating rather than adding a large amount of water to the entire cold batch. Loosen each portion gradually, stir from the bottom and leave it thick enough to support the chicken pieces. For a packed lunch, take the bread separately so it does not absorb soup before you are ready to eat.

Ingredients

  • 1 large garlic head, top trimmed (50 g edible cloves)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml/28 g), divided
  • 1 large yellow onion (200 g), diced
  • 3 medium carrots (240 g), cut into 1/2-inch/1.3 cm pieces
  • 2 celery stalks (100 g), diced
  • 1 1/4 cups dry red lentils (240 g), rinsed
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (1.44 liters/1440 g)
  • 1 cup water (240 ml/240 g)
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed (1 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt (4.5 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (1 g)
  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (900 g), cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml/30 g)
  • 6 slices whole-wheat bread (60 g each; 360 g total)

Set out

Small ovenproof dish with lid or foil, 6-quart/5.7-liter soup pot, Instant-read thermometer, Fine-mesh sieve, Fork

Allergens

Wheat, Check broth label for additional allergens. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oven to 400°F/200°C. Put trimmed garlic head in the small dish, drizzle its cut face with 1 teaspoon of the measured oil, cover and roast 40–45 minutes, until cloves are soft and pale golden. Let it cool just enough to handle.
  2. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in the soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes, stirring, until onion softens. Add rinsed lentils, broth, water, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes.
  3. Add raw chicken pieces. Return to a gentle simmer and cook for 12–16 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken reaches 165°F/74°C and the lentils are very soft. Reduce to the lowest heat if the garlic is not ready.
  4. Squeeze roasted cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Mash with a fork and a ladle of broth, then stir back into the soup. Simmer 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Divide into six equal portions and serve each with one slice of bread.

Freeze by the meal

Leave a little expansion space in each freezer container and label it with the date and portion count. A six-portion soup is only convenient when the frozen block matches the amount you want to reheat. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator rather than on a counter while you are away.

A useful detail

The total time assumes vegetables and soup are prepared while the garlic roasts. The bread can be served plain or toasted in a dry toaster; no extra spread is included.

Another way

  • Replace rosemary with 1 teaspoon dried thyme for a softer herbal note.
  • Use an equal 900 g weight of boneless skinless chicken thigh; keep the same 165°F/74°C endpoint and expect a slightly longer simmer if the pieces are larger.

Keep it well

Transfer soup to shallow containers and refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months; store bread separately. Reheat soup to 165°F/74°C, stirring and adding water a little at a time. Carry cold with two cold sources if packing for work.