NOTE - I have updated this post; refreshing the photos and adding some more detail to the content. The only changes that I have made to the recipe are slightly increasing the amount of chicken stock required, reducing the cooking time from 1 hour to 40 minutes and removing the instruction to blend before serving (I don't think it's necessary)
There's a phrase that gets banded around a fair amount in our house - "it's not a looker". It tends to be made with reference to food and is a polite way of saying, "That looks pretty grim but it tastes lovely." And it's almost always followed by, " ... like Mushroom Soup. We haven't had that for AGES. Can you make it again?"
So I would have 3 observations on this -
- Fair cop. Mushroom Soup is not a looker. It's grey. Even with a swirl of cream and a sprinkle of parsley, it's challenging for sure.
- Fair cop. I haven't made Mushroom Soup for ages. Note to self.
- Fair cop. This Chicken and Puy Lentil Soup is also not the prettiest, but just like its mushroomy cousin, it's truly delicious.
It's officially winter here in Dubai. The evening temperatures have dropped below 30°C, there's no longer the need to have 3 showers a day and yesterday #2 teenage son optimistically got out his woolly bobble cap to wear to go to morning swim training. He did put his nose out of the front door and swiftly put it back in the drawer though - it's 'cooler' for sure but we've not reached 'cold' yet.
But in my world, 'cooler' is more than an adequate excuse to knock up a soup and come to think of it, I'll find any excuse no matter what the outside temperature is reading. Sounds like it's time for a Cosy Chicken and Puy Lentil Soup.

What do you need to know about this Cosy Chicken and Puy Lentil Soup?
The combination of chicken and lentils just screams COSY and that's what this soup delivers in ladlefuls. It's packed with vegetables (the kind that you'll often find looking a bit unloved at the bottom of the fridge) and it's also a great way to use some of your mountain of chicken stock from the freezer. Maybe that should really read a 'chicken stock lake', but somehow frozen stock = a mountain. Now I'm wittering ...
What ingredients do you need to make this soup?
Let's start with the vegetables
- An onion
- 2 sticks of celery
- 2 carrots
- 2 cloves of garlic

Then the flavouring and the liquid
- Tomato purée - I used double concentrated in a tube
- Chicken stock - I used some from the freezer but making it with powder or stock cubes would also be perfect. I reserve ½ litre (2 cups) of the chicken stock and add it towards the end of cooking if I think the consistency needs it. It will depend on how thick you prefer your soup.
Next the chicken and the lentils
- Chicken thighs - these cook beautifully and easily in the soup and are then shredded at the end. You could replace with shredded, pre-cooked chicken from a rotisserie chicken if you prefer
- Green Lentils - I used regular green lentils rather than the Puy variety this time. They kept their shape and tasted great.
And finally the garnish
- Fresh parsley - this is a soup that really, really benefits from a little green garnish. Parsley works well, but basil would also be lovely.

So here's a quick rundown of why I think you'll be cosying up with this Chicken and Puy Lentil Soup
- It's really delicious.
- It's super easy to make + you could make it even easier by using the shredded chicken from a ready cooked rotisserie chicken instead.
- It's healthy - veggies, chicken and lentils ... you can't go wrong with that.
- It's excellent value.
- It will keep you feeling full for ages - that'll be the lentils.
- It freezes like a dream and reheats beautifully.
- It works perfectly in a food flask for a packed lunch.
- It would also be ideal for a winter picnic, perhaps with a few homemade sausage rolls.
Go on - celebrate winter with the full-on cosiness of a bowl of Chicken and Puy Lentil Soup. Woolly bobble hats are probably not required. Yet ...

Cosy Chicken and Puy Lentil Soup
The combination of chicken and lentils just screams COSY and that's what this soup delivers in ladlefuls.
Tweaked slightly from a recipe on thekitchn.com
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Hob
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée
- 3 to 3 ½ litres (12-14 cups) chicken stock
- 500g (2 cups) Puy lentils
- 500g (1lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs OR 500g (1lb) shredded chicken from a ready-cooked rotisserie chicken
- a little chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a large, heavy based saucepan. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook gently until the vegetables have softened - probably about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato purée and stir to coat the vegetables. Allow this to cook for a minute or so.
- Now add the chicken stock and the lentils and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken thighs to the pan. Leave to cook for about 40 minutes, occasionally checking to make sure that nothing is sticking and that the liquid is not bubbling too ferociously.
- When the lentils are ready, remove the chicken thighs with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate to cool before shredding the meat with a pair of forks.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, check for seasoning and garnish with a little chopped parsley.
Notes
I reserve ½ litre (2 cups) of the chicken stock and add it towards the end of cooking if I think the consistency needs it. It will depend on how thick you prefer your soup.
Keywords: soup, healthy, cosy