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 and its delish. Just the right blend of aromatics make this a keeper. Thank you so much for the recipe and the great photos on your website!
Have everything here to make this soup – as soon as the chicken thaws out. 🙂 Also love the comment that someone used their rice cooker to make soup in. I’ll try that but not when feeding my crowd since I have a small pot. Any help here would be appreciated. When I make rice in it I just close the lid and it does it’s own wonderful thing! Thank you for your fantastic recipes and insights.
I made this soup. It was great, but looked different from yours. Your chicken stock is really yellow. Do you buy chance use a bullion cube? Or buy a certain type of chicken stock? I used Swanson and it looked very different than your picture.
No, I did not use a bouillon cube. I used standard chicken stock.
This was absolutely delicious, Chungah! Making again tonight for the fam, thanks for sharing
It says cook chicken 3 min & set aside, then add more oil carrots celery etc. and cook 3-4 min… Is this in the same pot together with the chicken? The “set aside” part confused me, don’t want to overcook the chicken.
The chicken should be set aside so that it is not overcooked with the rest of the vegetables.
My family loved this soup! It was easy to make too 🙂
I know it says “serve immediately”, but I would like to bring it to a friend in a tupperware. Can I make it a day earlier than they will eat it, and refrigerate it? Or should I cook the orzo separately and just tell them to add it right before reheating?
The orzo should be cooked separately and kept separate until serving.
Great, thanks! Thanks for the quick reply, too! Thanks, also, for yet another wonderful, delicious recipe!!
Hi, just wondering whether this could be made freezer friendly once it is cooked? Would the chicken/pasta be OK? I am very keen to try this, but since there is only my husband and myself I like to freeze some left over portions for future easy dinners 🙂
Claire, this can be freezer-friendly if you cook the orzo separately and keep it separate until serving. If not, the orzo will soak up all the liquid over time.
This looks really good! Anyone know the calories per serving?
Kirsten, feel free to use online resources at your discretion to obtain nutritional information.
I made this today. My house smelled divine while I was making it. Thank you for such a great recipe. This one is going to my list of “go to” ones.
So yummy. Made this for lunch today. But I’m a vegetarian, so I made a couple of changes. Left out the chicken ( of course) and used homemade veggie broth. So good , so good.
Really just looking for a good reason to make the house smell like rosemary. 🙂
I made this tonight and it was wonderful! Hubby loved it! I used Basmati rice instead of orzo pasta, but everything else was the same. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
I just had a big bowl ok two bowls:) while sitting outside in the evening sun. It had just the right amount of lemon in it.
I’ve never made soup before and tonight I made this for my family – it was great! I made it in a huuuge pot and my little family and I devoured it! Soo good for us taste wise and healthwise, it has become a favourite. Thank you!!! 🙂
I just made this and it tastes delicious, simple fast and healthy..
Can this be done in the crockpot?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried making this in the slow cooker. I recommend using your own judgement to convert this recipe to utilize a crockpot.
Hi,
Could you substitute ground turkey for the chicken? Would that go well with the lemon flavor?
That sounds like a great substitution. I bet the flavors would really go well together.
I tried your soup today and was pleasantly surprised, I was concerned for the lemon flavour, it’s was great, brought some to a friends house and she thought it was amazing. Will make again. Thank you, Marie
Would you swap out the chicken thighs for breast?
Yes, you can certainly substitute chicken breasts for the thighs.
Made it today, delicious and healthy soup!