Home » Main Dishes » Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
posted by Christy Denneyon Feb 7, 202454 comments »
Jump to Recipe
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a delicious soup for any night of the week. It’s a one-pot chicken soup that has carrots, celery, and a touch of lemon flavor that sets this soup recipe apart from other chicken noodle soup recipes. The ultimate comfort food.
LEMON CHICKEN SOUP
Last week my friend told me she was coming over with Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. I couldn’t stop thinking about the soup until she came. This soup is pure comfort.
You know I love this regular Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. But I had to recreate this soup for my family a couple of days later because I loved all of the flavors so much.
INGREDIENTS
- CHICKEN BROTH OR CHICKEN STOCK –I like Better than Boullion Base.
- OLIVE OIL
- BUTTER
- CARROTS
- ONION
- CELERY
- GARLIC
- ITALIAN SEASONING–fresh herbs are great but I don’t always have them on hand.
- BAY LEAF
- LEMON ZEST
- LEMON JUICE– A squeeze of lemon adds a bright citrus flavor.
- ROTISSERIE CHICKEN– you can use leftover chicken or cook the chicken right in the pot when you add the orzo. Shredded chicken breast or chicken thighs work great.
- ORZO PASTA– one cuporzo cooks in the broth but if serving later cook it separately. Any small pasta can be substituted here.
- ITALIAN FLAT LEAF PARSLEY –fresh parsley adds a pop of freshness here.
- KOSHER SALT AND BLACK PEPPER
One thing I did learn is that if you don’t plan on eating it right away you should cook the orzo separately and add it later.
The orzo soaks up all of the liquid. So unless you want a stew, eat it right away or add the orzo later cooked according to the package directions if serving the next day. For leftover soup, just add a little more chicken stock to thin it out.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil and melt butter in a large Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the carrot, celery, and onion. Sautee for about 5 minutes or until veggies are soft. Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for one minute. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and Italian seasonings.
- Add the orzo and boil over medium heat until orzo is cooked through about 10 minutes (see Note not serving soup right away). Stir in the chicken until heated through.
- Just before serving add parsley and remove bay leaf. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add Romano or Parmesan cheese if desired to bowls.
OTHER SOUP RECIPES:
- Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Easy Tomato Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice
- Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
- Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Chicken Stew
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
4.62 from 21 votes
This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a comforting and easy meal for any night of the week.
PrintPinRate
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/3 cups carrots, chopped, (about 2 large carrots)
- 1 1/3 cups celery, chopped, (about 2 large celery stalks)
- 1 cup onion, chopped finely, (about 1/2 an onion)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)
Instructions
Heat the olive oil and melt butter in a large Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the carrot, celery, and onion. Sautee for about 5 minutes or until veggies are soft. Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds.
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for one minute. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and Italian seasonings.
Add the orzo and simmer until orzo is cooked through about 10 minutes (see Note not serving soup right away). Stir in the chicken until heated through.
Just before serving add parsley and remove bay leaf. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add Romano or Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
If you're serving right away you can add the orzo pasta and chicken at the same time until the orzo is cooked. If you plan on serving later it at a later time you may want to cook the orzo separately and add right before serving. The orzo pasta tends to soak up all the liquid and can become quite thick if you simmer the soup for a long time. You can always add more chicken stock if you want to thin it out a little.
Serving: 1/6 of the recipe, Calories: 320kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 776mg, Potassium: 732mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 4927IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 2mg
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Soup
Author: Christy Denney
Chicken Healthy Main Dishes Soup Recipes
published on Feb 7, 2024
54 comments Leave a comment »
100 of my favorite recipes! This is the family-friendly cookbook for anyone looking to plan quick-and-easy meals and wants a way to bring people together, feasting on food which can only be described as scrumptious.
stay connected get new recipes via email:
« Previous Post Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Next Post » Pizza Dip
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
54 comments on “Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup”
-
Christine Engel — Reply
This is fabulous! I’m making it again tonight!
-
Christy Denney — Reply
Thank you so much!
-
-
Steve B — Reply
What are the nutrition specs on this?
-
Christy Denney — Reply
They’re at the bottom of the recipe card.
-
-
Judy Ryan — Reply
Made this for dinner tonight. It was very good. For the Italian seasoning, I mixed together some fresh thyme, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Served it with warm crusty French bread! Will make this again. Thank!
-
Christy Denney — Reply
Great sub!
-
-
Shauna — Reply
Looks so yummy! Great with feta added too.
-
Christy Denney — Reply
Ooh great tip
-
-
Irene — Reply
Soup came out great! Was quick and easy to make……..I wish I had a good crusty bread on hand to go with it!
-
Christy Denney — Reply
Glad you liked it!
-
-
Stacy — Reply
Can you crockpot this?
-
Christy Denney — Reply
Yes, it’s tricky with the orzo though because you don’t want it to cook too quickly. I would could on low for 4-6 hours adding the pasta for the last hour.
-
-
Julia — Reply
I love easy and quick soups and this one looks amazing. Exactly what I need right now 🙂
-
Christy Denney — Reply
Great when you are feeling under the weather.
-
-
Heidi — Reply
Wow! I found your recipe and oh my gosh it was so so good!!! My family and I loved it! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
-
Christy Denney — Reply
You’re welcome! It’s one of my faves!
-
-
Momof6 — Reply
I make a Panera copycat version which is similar but it has spinach. A great summer soup!
-
Christy Denney — Reply
It’s a great one!
-
-
Mayra — Reply
Can you substitute the orzo with other pastas or rice?
-
Christy Denney — Reply
Oh for sure. You can use any small pasta or big. Rice works well too.
-
-
Cat — Reply
I make this a lot and I’ve done it with both the rice and Orzo. And yes are both very good. However we typically do freeze some of it but this time forgot. How long does the soup last before it turns? I believe that today would be 1 week since we made it. And w have a large bowl still in the fridge.
-
Christy Denney — Reply
It’s good for a while. I’m not sure. I would chuck after a week.
-
-
Mary Martin — Reply
Could you cook this in the crockpot?
-
Christy Denney — Reply
I think you could. You would have to add the orzo half way or it would get soggy.
-
-
Jc — Reply
Is lemon zest the same as lemon peel – grated?
-
Christy Denney — Reply
YEs. It’s the same.
-
-
Anitra — Reply
The sodium is very high; I’ll try to make it vegan.
-
Liz — Reply
Yum – thank you.
-
Lisa — Reply
I just made this tonight – it was magnificent! Thanks a lot for the extra note about making the orzo separately. I’m going to store it separately too so when I take it to work for lunch tomorrow I can wait til the last minute to combine!
I really love the lemon taste so much, so I tossed the juiced lemons into the pot to simmer while the orzo cooked. Scooped them out along with the bay leaf and it really deepened the flavor! I also crumbled a tiny bit of bleu cheese into each serving to add a sharp tang and touch of creaminess.
Thanks again!
-
Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
Ooh. I love blue cheese. I will have to try that!
-
-
Brenda — Reply
I really enjoyed this soup. Even my soup-avoiding husband liked it. I added spinach but otherwise followed the directions. For the leftover soup that turned to stew, I thinned it with chicken broth and it stayed very tasty. Thanks for a great recipe!
-
nusp.blogspot.com — Reply
I love what you guys are up too. Such clever work and exposure!
Keep up the terrific works guys I’ve added you guys to blogroll. -
Katie — Reply
I made this for lunch today and it was wonderful. I halved the recipe and substituted whole wheat Israeli couscous for the orzo and cooked two chicken breasts in foil pouches with olive oil and lemon. I added dried herbs because I didn’t have fresh. Thanks for an easy recipe to add to my winter go-to list!
-
Jill — Reply
I don’t think I have a pot to fit all these ingredients. Can I put it in a slow cooker? If so, how long?
-
Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
I think it would work great in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours so that the veggies cook. The orzo you may want to add separately. I’m not sure how quickly or slowly it would cook up.
-
-
Deep Chand — Reply
Thanks! nice recipe and even looks easy enough. My mom makes vegetable soups all through winters and i will definitely show her this one. But I was just wondering are those yellow things corns?
Tknx again 🙂
-
Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
I think what you’re seeing is that looks somewhat yellow might be the orzo. There isn’t any corn in the soup.
-
Deep Chand — Reply
We don’t get orzo in our country(India), suggestions on anything more common, or if it could do without ?
-
Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
You could use any shaped pasta here and it will work great.
-
-
-
Missy — Reply
I think they were asking about the carrot! This recipe is a variation of the famous Greek “Avgolemono” soup, so if your don’t have orzo pasta, rice is a substitute.
-
-
Sunny — Reply
I’ve got this soup sitting on my stove as we speak and I can’t wait to eat it! It is absolutely fantastic! I’ve had lemon chicken orzo soup from Paradise Bakery that I just LOVE and this homemade soup tops it!! Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
-
Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
So glad you like it!
-
-
Lemon Chicken — Reply
Wow its simple. I tried it at home, it was delicious. I used small size chicken breast to marinate for 4 hours in refregerator. Rest of the procedure, i followed you. Thanks for this great Lemon chicken recipe.
-
Lauren — Reply
This was delicious!! I made your slow cooker chicken quinoa chili last week, this recipe tonight and I am planning on making your cheater Korean beef tomorrow night!! I am a huge fan of your recipes!! Thanks for making my dinner planning a lot easier 🙂
-
Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
Thanks Lauren!
-
-
calista — Reply
I made this last night and it is delicious!!!!!!!!! Thank you for posting!
-
Amanda — Reply
I made this soup last week and it was so good and light! I brought the left overs in for coworkers and they all asked for the recipe! Thanks for making great things!!!
-
Dana — Reply
This soup looks so delicious!! LOVE orzo!
-
kapper — Reply
I made this soup for dinner last night – FANTASTIC! Everyone agreed that it’s a keeper! There’s something about that lemon that just “makes” this soup.
PS:
I made the orzo separately like you suggested, and everyone could add how much they wanted. So happy there was even enough for lunch today! Thank you! -
Linda — Reply
I made this dish tonight for dinner. It was so simple and DELICIOUS!!!
-
Fizzy Party — Reply
That looks really good. Perfect for a cold Oregon day.
-
rrp — Reply
This sounds just PERFECT!
-
Bree {Skinny Mommy} — Reply
YUM! I could for some right now!
-
I am LOVD — Reply
I’ve Pinned this bowl of beauty to a new board I call “Warmth from a Bowl” – thanks for being one of my first pins on my newly created board!
Leave a comment »
