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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Have made this several times and everyone loves it & asks for the recipe. Now that fall weather is here, a pot of this gets made tomorrow.
Oh my it was so dam good thank you, I only used half a lemon
Excellent recipe- my family loves this soup!!
I’ve been making this chicken soup for probably close to 7 years. It’s absolutely delicious! I make it anytime someone feels under the weather. So delicious and comforting! Thanks, for this amazing recipe, Chungah!
I absolutely love this soup. I’ve made it several times. The only change I make, is I use marinated barbecue chicken breast and add it after the fact.
I was hoping it turned out like the soup from my local Greek restaurant. However, it came out 10x better. I’ll definitely try another recipe from this site !
I have made this countless times. It is a family favorite! My kids get excited when this is on the menu. I have made it on stovetop as written and adapted it to the instapot-either way it is delicious. I sometimes add some lemon zest to the veggies to give it a bit more lemony goodness. It is also delicious with some baby spinach added at the end. Delish!
Really enjoyed this soup very flavorful
Delicious!!!!!
This recipe is wonderful I did take one short cut and used a rotisserie chicken from the deli. Everything else, I followed the given recipe. It was delicious and filling. Even in Orlando where hot temps are the norm, a hearty bowl of chicken soup is always welcome.
I just made this yesterday and it’s already almost gone. Now I’m almost obsessed with it. (Even my picky eater son likes it.) I doubt I will ever make regular chicken noodle soup ever again. I used chicken broth instead of stock, but the next time I make this soup, I’m going to make some homemade bone broth/stock and use that instead. To serve with it, I also made a baked garlic bread with parmesan herb focaccia bread. It was wonderful dipped in the soup. Pure comfort, and silky, lemony deliciousness!
I’ve probably made this more than a hundred times…for us, for family, for sick friends…it’s a staple…everyone loves it and the recipe always gets passed along…so I figured it’s only fair to finally post a comment. It’s so damn delicious 😉
I like adding a fresh lemon squeeze to each bowl.
This is a family favorite and on regular rotation- they love it so much they know what I’m cooking by the smell! This is easy and delicious, I was able to adapt it to be gf (by using gf orzo), and when I’m feeling super lazy a grocery store rotisserie chicken instead of the thighs makes it even easier. Delicious!
Made this recipe tonight exactly per directions. It was a keeper! Very delicious and just perfect on this cool evening in FL!
I am in the process of making this at the moment. It looks and smells divine. I did add red pepper flakes to satisfy my husband’s love of heat.
Just had this for lunch, and put this recipe in my Favourites folder. A hit! Made it with some homemade chicken stock and a cooked chicken breast I had in the freezer. Used the zest of the small lemon I had, as well as the juice. Thank you!
This is so good! The only change I made was to add a can of artichoke hearts chopped up. I have made this twice now, a new family favorite!
Very tasty and easy. Recommend you remove the bay leaf before serving (I know – most people know to do this, but not all). I also like to toast the Orzo til it is lightly brown. I think it adds a nutty taste. To thicken a little, I smash a few spoonfuls of the beans and add back into the broth. Try this, it is lovely.
what beans?
So good! Followed the recipe exactly and added a tablespoons of flour after sautéing the vegetables to thicken the broth slightly. Matter of personal preference. Also used the zest of the lemon in addition to the juice. The lemon brightened the dish without overpowering it! Will definitely be on the rotation!
Hi, can you post directions for how to make it in a crockpot?
Thanks so much!
We have a slow cooker version below. 🙂
https://damndelicious.net/2019/04/13/slow-cooker-lemon-chicken-orzo-soup/
This was delicious! I made this in the Instapot, as I was late to the dinner planning game. I also made a couple of changes which turned out fabulous in my opinion – I used 3/4c Orzo and I used part Tuscan Kale and part Spinach.
1. I heated a bit of oil in the Instapot on the saute . Once it was piping hot, I put the diced onion in to saute.
2. I diced up the chicken thighs and salted them vigorously and peppered them. Then added to the IP to saute until they were whiteish/golden in color. (5ish minutes)
3. I stripped my Rosemary and Thyme – added to the IP, along with the carrots and celery, and chicken stock (I used Veggie – because its all I had).
4. Put the lid on the IP, hit the soup function on the IP (High pressure). For 15 min.
*5. If I had more time I probably would not have done it this way, but – as the soup was cooking in the IP I heated a smaller (#2) lecruset filled half with water to a boil. I added the Orzo and reduced heat to a simmer. I let cook for 15 min (in retrospect it could have been less time if you want a more al dente vibe.) I then drained and ran cool water over it and just set aside.
6. After 15 min, I manually released the pressure and removed the lid.
7. I hit the saute function again, added the spinach and kale, and put the lid on. I let them simmer and wilt for about 5 min. Then turned the heat off and placed soup in bowls. Then topped with the Orzo.
*Alternatively, I would have omitted this and added the orzo to the pot on step 7. I have done this for other dishes, and it works well. I just was short on time. It would take 15 min or so once the broth started bubbling again. I would wait to add the spinach and kale to the last 5 min, (don’t put in right after you open the lid if you are adding the Orzo. Wait for the last 5 min of the Orzo cook time.)
Also, LEMON was a lovely touch!