Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
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Chockfull of hearty veggies and tender chicken in a refreshing lemony broth. It is PURE COMFORT in a bowl!
No matter what the weather is outside, I can always use a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It doesn’t even matter if I’m sick with the flu or if I have the cleanest bill of health – this soup can be eaten any day of the week, any time of day for an all around feel-good warm hug in a bowl.
But let me tell you that this is not your ordinary chicken noodle soup. The traditional noodles are swapped out and orzo pasta is used instead. And my favorite part about this soup is the freshly squeezed lemon juice stirred in at the very end, served with alllll the crusty bread. It makes all of the difference, really.
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the orzo pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked orzo pasta when serving.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup orzo pasta
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water; bring to a boil.
- Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
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Will rice work instead of orzo? I do not have orzo.
This soup is fantastic. I did use chicken thighs and cooked them in a stovetop smoker to give the soup another depth of flavor. I did use 6 cups of chicken broth as other reviewers commented. I may go to 8 cups next time. I used spinach instead of kale since that is what I had.
My family loved this soup! I added some additional seasoning like garlic powder and onion powder and it was great. Definitely recommend
This is simply a perfect soup! And yes I sometimes add spinach. It’s great with or without 🙂
This soup was a big hit with my family. The lemon juice adds such a nice flavor. I added in a bunch of spinach at the end as well.
can I use a crock pot instead?
Currently making this for about the 1,000th time. It is my go-to Meal Train delivery for new families, new babies, illness, or post-surgeries. Everyone always loves it and it tastes made from the heart. ❤️
This is one of our favorite soups! Heavy rain today just begged for this for supper! I always have everything to fix this on hand because it is always a hit! Thank you so much!
This is my favorite go to soup. Have made it often and even my grandkids love it. Sometimes I’ll add spinach to it if I have it in the fridge.
Yummy! I left out the bay leaves, as I don’t care for them. It was delicious!
I made this for my adult daughter who was under the weather and needed some ‘momming’. It was delicious! She had a cold so I upped the garlic and lemon just a bit, used homemade stock, and added ginger as recommended by another reviewer. Fantastic! Thank you for this recipe, I will definitely be making it again!
This is delicious! Have made several times just as is and love it!!! My favorite chicken soup!!!
I added some chopped and massaged kale for some extra vitamins (and because we love kale) and I also added ginger because we are so sick with the flu right now.
I chose this recipe because I’ve used other damn delicious recipes and this one is no lie. It is damn delicious also. Thank you for making me look brilliant again.
Excellent on a rainy night in So Cal! The addition of lemon is genius!
Prep is not 10 minutes. More like an hour. Still this is incredibly tasty.
My go to recipe.. the family LOVES it!!
Have made this a few times and shared it with friends. Everyone loves it! Thank you for all your great recipes.
Can you freeze left over lemon Chicken Orzo Soup?
They freeze well. I freeze it in sandwich ziplock bags since I alway double the recipe. We pull out as many as we need. They fit nicely in a sauce pot.
Just a question before I make this; every time I make chicken orzo soup the broth gets absorbed by the orzo and it turns into mush. Would it be better to cook the orzo outside the soup and then add it so I don’t end up with gluey mush soup? Thanks! It looks terrific!
Unless you’re going to make a “bed” of orzo in each bowl before serving I don’t believe cooking separately would make a difference. If do you I would probably add less liquid as well.
This soup is a winner!! Made it after work and my husband and i had it the same night and it was delicious and comforting as the recipe says! I can imagine after a night or 2 it will be even tastier, if that’s possible. I like to add a couple tablespoons of fresh chopped dill and some cut up some fresh shitake mushrooms while after the veggies were cooked. This soup is perfect!!!