Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
by Chungah
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Chockfull of hearty veggies and tender chicken in a refreshing lemony broth. It is PURE COMFORT in a bowl!
Featured Comment
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.
reasons to make lemon chicken orzo soup
- Best kind of vibrant, lemon-y broth
- Fun, different twist from traditional chicken noodle soup, maybe even better
- Easy to make and comes together very quickly in one single pot (even the dried orzo)
- Freezes beautifully, perfect for those busy weeknights and lazy weekends
what is orzo
Orzo is a short-cut type pasta, similar in shape to a long grain of rice. Orzo can be added to soup, helping to thicken the soup naturally by releasing starch as it cooks in the broth, yielding a richer, more velvety consistency.
tips and tricks for success
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice will elevate your chicken soup, adding a fresh, bright flavor and balancing out all the saltiness and richness of the soup.
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the chicken, use vegetable stock and add 1 can cannellini beans.
- Make it gluten-free. Lemon chicken orzo soup can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free orzo or swapping out the orzo for rice.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
pro tip
Make ahead of time and store the orzo separately.
Because the orzo will continue to soak up the broth, cook and store the orzo separately if making this ahead of time.
what to serve with lemon chicken orzo soup
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.
You can use either chicken broth or chicken stock but always season, to taste, as store-bought broth is often saltier than store-bought stock. Broth is made from meat and vegetables while stock is often lower sodium and thicker than broth, and is made from bones and vegetables.
The orzo is cooked directly in the soup, absorbing all the flavorful broth. But if you are planning for leftovers or freezing, the orzo should be cooked and stored separately.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, adding a splash of water or stock as needed.
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
Video
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.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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I just made this soup today and it is awesome! Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight. Added juice from one more lemon just to kick it up a notch. It was fabulous. Thank you for posting for all to try!
I am hoping to make this in the morning to serve for dinner. Do I need to worry about adding the lemon too early? I have read that doing so can inadvertently add a bitter flavor to a dish. Should I add right before serving, as I will do with the orzo? Thank you!
Btw, I love all of your recipes!!
Yes, you can add prior to serving.
I made this tonight and it was wonderful. Only difference was that I doubled the recipe because I have a teenager eating me out of house and home. We also love leftovers. Loved the hint of lemon in it and I know it will be perfect to serve throughout the year. Thank you!
Very good soup, eating a bowl now, I used 2 lbs of chicken thighs, glad I bought extra cause by the time u trimmed fat off, I don’t think 1 lb would have been enough….
This took longer to fix for me than stated too…. Did you trim fat off your chicken thighs or just dice them up?
Thanks for the recipe.
I just diced them up as the chicken I purchased did not have much fat to begin with.
Have you made this with breasts?
I actually have not but several of my readers have used chicken breasts with great results!
This is amazing and so comforting on this blustery winter day. Thank you for sharing.
Turned out great. I used rotisserie chicken and topped it off with thinly sliced jalapeño peppers. The peppers worked really well with the lemon. I will definitely make again!
Was so excited to make this and I wasn’t disappointed. The soup is delicious. This is a must to make over and over!
We bought some orzo from the sale rack. My wife asks what are we going to do with that. Dunno, Google it. Found your soup and had it for dinner tonight. Wonderful! Guess I’ll be paying full price soon.
After no having felt well, this was the perfect meal. So comforting and delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!
This recipe is a favorite in our household. So light and so yummy! We usually double (or even sometimes triple) the recipe just so we can have leftovers for lunch. 🙂
Oh, I just saw the comments about soggy noodles. I don’t know why, but as much as I normally abhor leftover noodles soup with noodle mush, this soup just doesn’t seem to do that. Probably because the orzo is so small, that even though it gets very tender, it’s not like a giant mushy egg noodle. I love a huge pot of this for leftover lunch all week.
My whole family LOVES this soup! It’s such a staple in our house from the 3 year-old to the hubby. I used the Better than Boullion veggie stock concentrate & 3 lonely drumsticks from the freezer tonight since that’s what we had around and it was fabulous.
It’s always fabulous. Our littlest likes to cool it off with some frozen corn at the table.
This sounds YUMMO! Could I use boneless chicken breasts?
Yes, absolutely.
Thank You this soup is damn delishous & fit to serve the queen! Just made it. I added 2 packets chicken noodle soup, 2 chicken stock cubes & 2 packets dried ramen noodles (prawn flavour with spice sachets included. I pre-grilled my chicken fillets with butter, cayenne pepper, salt and lime juice and then chopped it all up and added it. If using whole chicken will do same but not add the butter as there will then be enough chicken fat. Damn Delish is all I can say !!
How big is a serving size. It is really great soup thanks
It should range anywhere from 1-2 cups per serving.
what can I do to prevent the noodles from absorbing the liquids?
This is best served immediately because there is really no way around this. You can also keep the orzo separate and simply add before serving.
This looks awesome for today. My better half is not feeling well (too much fun last night). This would be perfect for him. It is supposed to be “spring” however, we just got 4 inches of snow yesterday. Yuk!
Thanks so much for sharing.
I’ve never commented on a blog before, but I really just needed to say that yours is AMAZING!! Every single recipe on here that I’ve tried, from the kale & meyer lemon salad to this soup, has turned out delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipes!!
– A (former) incompetent cook 🙂
Delish! Added some baby spinach for some more greens, and it was awesome. That squeeze of lemon at the end gives it the perfect lightness and brightness 🙂 Thanks for always posting amazing recipes!