Lemon chicken orzo soup is a healthy, refreshing, light, and filling meal that’s great for a weeknight meal that can be enjoyed all year round. It’s made using juicy chicken and orzo pasta in flavorful broth, celery, carrots, mushrooms, spinach, and other aromats and herbs. Freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest adds fresh flavor to the soup. No cream or cheese is added.
For a light, refreshing salad, try Greek orzo pasta salad with feta cheese, a great summer potluck recipe. This creamy garlic parmesan orzo is an effortless one-pot comfort dish that’s perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.
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Lemon orzo chicken soup
- Delicious soup with chunks of chicken, warming broth, and lots of vegetables.
- It’s a healthy, refreshing, light, and filling meal that’s great for a weeknight meal.
- The best part of this soup – the flavor-packed broth.
- There’s no cream or cheese added.
Ingredients
- Orzo – Dry orzo pasta. It’s a rice-shaped pasta that works in soups and salads.
- Chicken – use boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Feel free to use a rotisserie chicken from super supermarket or cook chicken breasts or thighs seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and cook in olive oil. Cook not more than 3 to 4 minutes on each side on medium heat, remove chicken from the pan, and rest it on the chopping board. Then cut or shred the chicken into small pieces. Use the instant pot whole chicken rotisserie style recipe if you want to cook chicken at home.
- Broth – Use low-sodium chicken broth. You may also use my Instant Pot bone broth recipe to make your broth and use it in the recipe.
- Vegetables – I’ve used carrots, Celery, mushrooms (button or cremini or portobello mushrooms can be used), and spinach. Feel free to include your favorite vegetables like frozen peas, and golden beets.
- Aromats – you can use red onion, shallots, or yellow onion and loads of garlic.
- Olive oil and butter – to sauté the aromats and vegetables.
- Herbs – I used a mix of both fresh and dried herbs. Fresh rosemary, dried thyme, dried parsley, and bay leaf. You can easily substitute Italian seasoning.
- Lemon – freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest to add tangy and umami flavor to the soup.
Additional Ingredients and Substitutions
Flavor enhancers – to enhance more flavor in the chicken orzo soup use flavor enhancers such as Worcestershire sauce and ¼ teaspoon of dry mustard powder.
Make it spicy – you can use hot sauce such as buffalo hot sauce or sriracha hot sauce. Hot sauce not only adds mild heat (depending on the amount you add) to the soup but also adds umami. You may also use spicy sweet chili sauce or schezwan sauce.
You may also use red chili flakes in place of hot sauce.
Want to enrich the lemon orzo chicken soup? use dry white wine instead of chicken broth. Dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc works great.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot.
Step 2: Sauté shallots and celery until onions turn translucent.
Step 3: Add garlic and cook for a minute or two.
Step 4: Sauté carrots and mushrooms with constant stirring.
Step 5: Pour the broth, add herbs and seasoning – fresh rosemary, dried thyme, dried parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Step 6: Mix well and allow the broth to boil.
Step 7: Add dry orzo pasta. Orzo pasta cooks faster, read the packet instructions and cook it for 2.5 to 3 minutes less than the mentioned time to cook it al-dente.
Step 8: Since I used cooked chicken, I added it once the orzo pasta was cooked al-dente. Once orzo pasta is cooked al-dente, add cooked shredded chicken and mix well. If needed pour some more broth to adjust the consistency of the soup.
Step 9: Now add baby spinach or chopped spinach. Let it cook for 1 minute.
Step 10: Turn off the heat and add fresh lemon zest.
Step 11: Add freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Step 12: Stir well, taste, and adjust the seasoning as required.
Serve lemon chicken orzo soup hot.
Tips
- Always cook orzo pasta al-dente.
- Do not overcook chicken, do not cook chicken breast for more than 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Chicken thighs will need extra time to cook. Remember chicken will continue to cook in the broth as well.
- Feel free to include your favorite vegetables.
- The recipe does not include cream or cheese, if you want to make it creamy feel free to add a little heavy cream or shredded Parmesan cheese at the end.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, you can freeze it and store up to 3 months in the freezer.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. Use boneless chicken thighs. Thighs will need extra time to cook compared to chicken breasts.
Yes, you can. I highly recommend you use only freshly grated Parmesan cheese as pre-grated packaged cheese won’t melt well in the soup.
If you prefer soup with a bit of kick, feel free to add a dash of hot sauce or red chili flakes to the soup.
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📋Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried orzo pasta
- 1 lb cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken diced or shredded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup shallots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup carrots
- ½ cup mushrooms button mushrooms, or cremini or portobello mushrooms
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or fresh thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley or fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups baby spinach or regular spinach chopped
- 1 lemon zest
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot.
- Sauté shallots and celery until onions turn translucent.
- Add garlic and cook for a minute or two.
- Sauté carrots and mushrooms with constant stirring.
- Pour the broth, add herbs and seasoning – fresh rosemary, dried thyme, dried parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Mix well and allow the broth to boil.
- Add dry orzo pasta. Orzo pasta cooks faster, read the packet instructions and cook it for 2.5 to 3 minutes less than the mentioned time to cook it al-dente.
- Since I used cooked chicken, I added it once the orzo pasta was cooked al-dente.
- Once orzo pasta is cooked al-dente, add cooked shredded chicken and mix well.
- If needed pour some more broth to adjust the consistency of the soup.
- Now add baby spinach or chopped spinach.
- Let it cook for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat and add fresh lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Stir well, taste, and adjust the seasoning as required.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Always cook orzo pasta al-dente.
- Do not overcook chicken, do not cook chicken breast for more than 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Chicken thighs will need extra time to cook. Remember chicken will continue to cook in the broth as well.
- Feel free to include your favorite vegetables.
- The recipe does not include cream or cheese, if you want to make it creamy feel free to add a little heavy cream or shredded Parmesan cheese at the end.
Nutrition
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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