Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Fresh and flavourful, this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is loaded with veggies, juicy chicken, and a bright lemon-scented broth.
This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is perfect for chilly days. Packed with protein and a refreshing lemon flavor, it’s a healthy and delicious meal.
How long does Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup take to make?
You can have this soup ready in 30-45 minutes, depending on how fast you can chop your veggies!
A tip for weeknights: Chop your veggies, chicken, herbs, and mince your garlic in the morning and have it all ready to go in the fridge for dinner time!
Let’s talk about the ingredients
Chicken – Chicken is the protein star of this recipe! I like to use chicken breast, but you could also try using chicken thighs if you like.
Lemon – Trust me when I say this does not taste too lemony. It’s just the right amount of lemon to create the most refreshing broth.
Orzo – This rice-shaped pasta is perfect for soup! It only takes 10 minutes to cook, so the recipe comes together really quickly.
Can I Make Substitutions?
Chicken breast – You can substitute the same amount of chicken thighs, and it still tastes great.
Orzo – If you don’t have orzo, you can substitute any tiny pasta. Try stars, tiny shells, or alphabets!
Can Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup be Gluten-Free?
Substitute the pasta with a gluten-free pasta, and boom! You have a gluten-free soup.
The Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Method
The first thing I like to do is prep all the ingredients, because the soup comes together fairly quickly. It makes it super easy when you have all the ingredients ready to go!
Then, in a large soup pot, I cook the chicken until it’s done and slightly browned, and set that aside.
In the same pot, I cook the veggies, garlic, and thyme until the onion starts to soften. Then add in the chicken stock, bay leaves, orzo pasta, rosemary, and cooked chicken.
After that you are just simmering all of that together until the orzo is tender and cooked through.
Before serving, remember to remove the rosemary and bay leaves. Then add in the lemon juice and parsley, and add your salt & pepper to taste.
Serve immediately in bowls with a nice, crusty bread!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Equipment
- 1 large soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 Small handful fresh parsley chopped
- Juice from one lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or 450g
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 small carrots peeled and diced
- 3 small celery ribs diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups chicken stock or 1 litre
- 1 cup water or more if needed
- 3/4 cup orzo pasta
- 1 branch fresh rosemary
Instructions
- First get all the ingredients ready to go: Juice the lemon, and set juice aside. Chop up fresh parsley into small bits, and set aside. Peel & dice the carrot, dice the celery and onion, and set aside. Mince the garlic cloves and set aside. Cut up chicken into bite size pieces.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot, over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until done and slightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pot, over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic, and stir until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the dried thyme stir until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken stock and 1 cup of water and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Add the chicken, orzo, rosemary, bay leaves, and salt & pepper. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until the orzo pasta is cooked. If the soup looks too thick you may need to add another cup of water.
- Before serving, remove the rosemary and bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Serve in soup bowls with a nice, crusty bread.
Notes
