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
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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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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!).
need to add little more spice
Delicious soup! I accompanied it with a panini. My mom is not a fan of carrots and I heard some commentary while I was serving about carrots in the soup. Yet not a peep during the meal and raved about it at the end. Wanted to make sure I put away leftovers. Big hit -thank you!!
Fantastic! Followed recipe pretty much, but started with four skin on bone-in thighs and brown them well and then took them out and started sauteing the veggies. Made a double batch and ended up putting lots of lemon zest in it because my girlfriend said it didn’t taste like lemon….IT DUE NOW!!
Sounds delicious. Would like to make it before my knee surgery. Can it be frozen?
Also wondering about freezing, need to make some meals pre-baby!
I freeze this all the time. Just be sure to freeze without the orzo as it gets too mushy if you do.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was absolutely delicious! A keeper and can’t wait to make it for my son and daughter in law! I did make my own chicken stock from the Kosher Palette cookbook.
I’ve made this soup multiple times! I love it! I have also used chicken stock with white wine and substituted the chicken for vegan chicken to make it vegetarian. This is the absolute best recipe I’ve tried for this particular soup. Thanks so much for this!