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!
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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
Equipment
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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OH MY! What a delightful, comforting, delicious soup. I made this for a friend that just got COVID. Left on the porch and ran like hell. 😉 I’m grateful I saved a bowl for myself!! The lemon juice is such a different, welcome component. The soup received high praise from my friend, and I concur.
Made exactly as written. <3 Definitely a keeper.
Just tried this for the first time, looking for something quick and refreshing, but still filling. This did not disappoint! Love how simple yet delicious this was! Ended up using all chicken stock and boiled frozen chicken breasts as part of step 3 instead of cooking them in step 1. Shredded chicken and replaced and added the orzo. With some salt and pepper to taste, this turned out amazing! Will definitely be making this again.
Just made this for the first time and my entire family loved it! I left out the rosemary, as I didn’t have any on hand. I wonder how much that affected the taste. We’ll come back to this recipe for sure!
Delicious! I followed the recipe, no changes except I did cook things a little longer than the recipe said to. I think I may try chicken breast next time just because I don’t care for thighs as much. Will definitely be sharing this and making it again! It’s going in the recipe box
Love this recipe! I’ve been making it for years! Lemon and rosemary make it different than most chicken soup recipes!
This is so good! The lemon gives us a fresh, light flavor that goes beyond any regular chicken soup. I had shredded rotisserie chicken from Costco on hand so I used that. I also had a partial bag of baby spinach so I threw that in, too. Nice! My husband and I will have this again, it’s a winner. I had fresh thyme and rosemary that went into the pot. I didn’t have fresh lemon, but 1/4 cup of Costco’s lemon juice worked just fine.
Was ok, a bit bland. Would add 2 lemons, another garlic clove and 3 egg yolks
Made this twice for my family and they love it!
I thought, as is, the soup was pretty bland. I added more salt & pepper. I also really wanted the lemon flavor to stand out so I added lemon zest & juice from 2 lemons. Also just used 6 cups of broth for more flavor. I also added some fresh baby spinach right before serving. A bit of fresh ginger at the end was good as well.
For the people saying it’s bland: The salt is a suggested amount. Obviously everyone has different flavor profiles, so adjust to YOUR liking. Soup is great. I loved it and I’ll be keeping it in my recipes book for later use. Thank you!
Using homemade chicken stock and all other seasoning listed it was very flavorful!
I have made this recipe (actually) dozens of times over the past several years and it never gets old. Sometimes we do it exactly as written, other times we’ve added mushrooms, added extra chicken and veggies and left-out the orzo, or replaced orzo with zucchini noodles. It is in our regular rotation and we love it!
I made this yesterday. I seasoned my chicken thighs and roasted them in the oven then cut them up for the soup but basically followed the rest of the recipe as written. Used fresh thyme and rosemary. I feel so cozy when I eat this.
It was pretty good, although a little bland. Not sure what to do to change, but my son liked it. Thanks for the recipe!
You are missing out. if you don’t
make this soup. Don’t change a thing. It is perfect as is.
This soup is amazing! Exactly what I wanted it to taste like. Full disclosure, I used the DD homemade chicken stock in the instant pot recipe for the stock and then I also used the zest of the lemon I later juiced because I personally love lemon. To me, it was not overpowering at all. I also used a bunch of fresh thyme and then dried rosemary because that’s what I had. Overall, this hits all the comfort marks of soup, but still light enough for our long southern summers.
Do you know if I can use rice instead of orzo pasta? And if yes would you cook the rice before adding to the soup recipe?
Who doesn’t like Chicken & Rice soup? I bet you could definitely substitute, however, the rice might be a bit heavier. The orzo is so light and lovely.
This is an amazing recipe. I followed it to the T and the husband couldn’t get enough. Thank you so much for sharing
This soup was perfect dinner dish in this transition between summer and fall. Still light and refreshing, but warm and comforting on a rainy night like last night. We ate it on the screened in porch with french bread, and it was a big hit!
We were out of bay leaves so I just went without. We used a full sprig of rosemary, freshly picked from our neighbor’s bush, and took it out after it was done cooking. It came out tasting *perfectly* spiced. We’re definitely going to put this one on rotation!
Th is was the best soup yet…… I put it in the crockpot.had to work. Walked in the door an oh my so good thanks.
How long did you cook it in the crockpot
And did you dump all the ingredients in at once
How did you make this with a crockpot?
Something was missing from this and I can’t put my finger on it. And I used homemade stock! I wasn’t fond of the thighs in this soup. Looked too gnarly. Next time I’ll maybe use fresh thyme and rotisserie chicken breasts. Maybe a tsp of jarred chicken Better Than Bouillon to kick up the flavor?
Great recipe! I used a grilled chicken breast instead of thighs. Came out delicious!!!
Just made this and it turned out great. Warm, comforting, and filling, and the fresh parsley and lemon juice really brightened and elevated the flavor. This recipe is very forgiving…the carrots and celery I used were far from fresh since I was just trying to clean out the fridge, but the finished product is still delicious. Very simple and I will definitely make this one again (with fresher ingredients!).