Bring a medium sized dutch oven or stock pot up to heat over medium. Add in oil along with the carrots and celery and sauté for 3-5 minutes until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Next add in the garlic and bay leaves. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant.
Reduce the heat to medium low and add in the zest from the lemons (saving the juice for later), chicken stock, lentils, chicken base, cayenne pepper and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Stir.
Bring the soup up to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour stirring occasionally. The lentils should be soft, but still have a little bite to them.
During the last 20 minutes of cooking, add in the chickpeas.
Remove from heat and stir in the basil, parsley and juice from the 2 zested lemons. Check for seasoning adding more salt or pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Recipe Courtesy of Megan Mitchell