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–+ servings
A ladle of lemon chicken orzo soup
5 from 17 votes

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a Greek style chicken noodle soup with tender chicken, yummy vegetables, and pasta in a savory and bright lemon infused broth.
Author Diana
Servings 6 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup yellow onion diced
  • ½ cup carrot peeled and diced
  • 2 sprigs celery diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth Note 1
  • 1 pound chicken breasts skinless and boneless
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 cup orzo uncooked, regular or whole wheat
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + lemon zest of one lemon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • In a dutch oven, over medium high heat. Heat olive oil and melt the butter.
  • Add onion, carrot and celery, and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add flour, stir and cook for 1 minute.
  • Pour chicken stock, add the chicken breasts, bay leaf, and dried herbs.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
  • Add the orzo and cook uncovered while stirring regularly for 10 minutes (you don’t want the orzo to stick to the bottom of the pot).
  • Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, take the chicken out (and make sure it reached 165°F/74°C) and shred it then return it.
  • Stir in the lemon juice, zest, and parsley, season with salt and pepper. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Notes

  1. Use low sodium chicken broth to make this soup, then season with salt to match your personal preference.
  2. Crockpot: This recipe can easily be adapted to the slow cooker. Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Remove the chicken, shred it, and put it back into the soup. Allow it to continue to cook for about 20 minutes before serving with pre-cooked orzo pasta. Pasta doesn’t cook well in the slow cooker, so I recommend cooking it on the stove.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1025mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2093IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
Find it online: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/lemon-chicken-orzo-soup/