- 2 pounds chicken breast, no skin, no bones
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/2 cup onion
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces. Wash hands thoroughly.
- Chop the celery and onion. You'll need about 4 sprigs each of mint and parsley. Remove the mint and parsley leaves from their stems. Chop the leaves and set aside. Optional: cut up the stems and put them in a tea ball or in cheese cloth as a bouquet garni.
- Zest the lemon until you get about 2 tsp (or about 1/2 lemon worth). Juice the lemon to get about 2 Tbsp; remove seeds.
- In a soup kettle over medium-high heat, add the butter, celery and onions. Saute for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic stir for a few seconds then add the chicken pieces and cook for about 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the chicken stock and lemon zest (and bouquet garni if using). Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered for about 15 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, mint and parsley and cook for another 5 minutes uncovered (don't let it boil). Remove the bouquet garni (if using) before serving. Taste to see if it needs salt or pepper.