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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Hello!
Can this be done in a slow cooker? Thanks 🙂
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Made this today. Added chick peas and zucchini! Great recipe.
Do you think this would work in the crockpot? I need something I can put together and walk away from tomorrow!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Wanted to pop in and let you know I made this soup last weekend and it’s AMAZING. So quick and easy to put together. I grew fresh rosemary for the first time this summer and have been looking for recipes using it. That sprig simmering in the soup really takes the flavor to a whole new level. I took the pot of soup to my daughter’s to share with her and her family-we all loved it. I’ll be making this recipe a lot down the road. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Mmmmmm Chungah !!! This soup looks so good …. I can’t wait to make it . Looks
like the perfect supper for these colder days ! Thank you !!!
How should I cook the orzo if I do it separately? Just water or should I cook it with the ck stock ?
Thank you!
Either should work just fine!
What size is your dutch oven?
3.5 qt.
My husband and I love, love, love soup anytime of the year. We live in Florida. I just made this soup and couldn’t believe how good it is. This will be one of my go to soups. Thank you so much for this great recipe.
Beautiful one pot wonder dish! Still haven’t used orzo before but I want to try (:
A local restaurant in san leandro makes this, their Greek Lemon Chicken Rice soup, a few times a week and it is also delicious. I’m gonna try this version. Looks wonderful!!
NOTE: vid went too fast for me, had to replay a bunch of times and go back and look at somethings. ALSO, the font used in the vid was too hard to read (i.e. # cups of chicken broth, and it said “1 lemon” but it’s ‘juice from 1 lemon’ …) Please use a clearer font for easy reading. Thx.
This soup was so good! Perfect thing on a cold day. Only thing I did differently was add a little more orzo.
This soup is my favorite chicken soup ever! The lemon and parsley at the end give it a super fresh taste and it’s pretty easy to put together. Love it!
Can you use rotisserie chicken?
Yes, absolutely.
This was just outstanding! Had leftover rotisserie chicken and homemade chicken broth on hand. I’d saved this recipe on Pinterest and pulled it out today. I made it almost to recipe, just a couple of changes. Rotisserie chicken and homemade broth, basmati rice instead of the orzo, added the zest of the lemon, and 1/2 the juice. I added 1 can of cream of chicken soup just to give it a little more creaminess. Made some rosemary focaccia to serve alongside with some fresh veggies. The lemon makes this recipe! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
yummm!!!
This recipe has become our family favorite! I use ground chicken instead as I can get it from the farmers market. ..no chopping of chicken makes it even easier! S
What is the exact serving size?
Sorry I don’t see it above. The serving size was noted as 1-2 cups.
No worries at all! There’s a lot of comments to sift through.
I just had the soup it is fantastic and is my new favorite. I didn’t have any lemons so I used a lime instead and it was really good. Also I just measured out 6 servings and it was 1 1/2 cups and if anyone does weight watchers the smart points is 8. Thank you for the recipe. I will be making again!
Excellent recipe! I made it for my husband because he had a cold. He love it so much that he asked me to make it again the following day. Damn delicious!
Everything I make of yours is damn delicious! This recipe is no different. Finally a chicken soup that taste like chicken soup should taste. I made it as written and would not change a thing.
I made this last night, and the two of us finished it. Well, I had one bowl, but he had at least two. Delicious, simple. Thank you for sharing.
I’m guessing the bay leaf and thyme are added when cooking the veggies?
Please refer to steps 2 and 3:
2. 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.
3. 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.