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This delicious Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is hearty and easy soup, perfect for when you are feeling under the weather, cold, or just craving a warm comfy bowl of goodness. It is made with very simple ingredients and one of the most beneficial soups you can ever eat and the best part is you can make it in less than 45 minutes!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is light, healthy and uses wholesome ingredients. It’s a family favorite and comes with many benefits. Whether you are eating it to feel better or just to keep warm on a cozy cold day, I am sure your family will enjoy it.
Looking for other chicken recipes? Why not also try my Thai Red Curry Chicken and my Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole!
Why you’ll love this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- A healthy soup. Loaded with veggies and protein packed chicken, a serving of this delicious soup comes in at only 250 calories.
- Cozy and comforting. Bursting with lemon and herb flavor and hearty orzo this soup is super satisfying.
- An easy soup recipe. Made from scratch but so easy to put together. This serves 8 and goes from pantry to table in 45 mins.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Cooked Shredded Chicken
- Chicken Broth
- Vegetables: onions, carrots and celery
- Parsley
- Garlic
- Orzo Pasta
- Lemon Juice
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Ginger
- Cornstarch
How to make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Sauté the veggies – Dice your vegetables and transfer them to a pot with olive oil, sauté until tender.
- Make your broth – Add your chicken broth and seasoning to the pot and allow to cook for 15 mins. (if making your own broth see my notes lower down)
- Add the chicken – Shred the cooked chicken and add to the pot, cook for 15 mins.
- Add the pasta – Toss in the orzo and cook for 10 mins, then add in herbs, lemon juice and corn starch.
- Garnish and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- Yes, you san substitute chicken bread for chicken thighs or use both.
- To make life easier, use can use rotisserie chicken.
- You can use homemade or store bought broth, whichever you have time for!
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if you are managing your salt intake.
- I also used lemon to make the soup a little citrusy. If you like a bold lemon flavor, you can add some lemon zest to the soup.
- The orzo will suck up more of the water so you don’t have to worry about thickening the broth too much.
- If you would like to thicken up your soup, you mix 1-2 tsps. of corn starch with a tablespoon of water in a small cup and pour it over towards the last 5 minutes of cooking while stirring, along with the lemon juice.
- Serve this delicious soup in a bowl with some lemon wedges and top with chopped parsley for garnishing. The garnishing is completely optional.
- love adding hot sauce into my soup. Super delicious!
FAQ’s
How do I make homemade chicken broth?
To make homemade chicken broth, you will need to boil the chicken in a separate pot with some veggies to make the broth flavorful and fragrant. You can use onion wedges, some celery sticks, a couple of bay leaves, a small piece of fresh ginger, and 1/4 of a lemon wedge along with the amount of chicken you are using.
Boil everything together with 8-10 cups of water or less depending on the amount of soup you are trying to make. Use less water if you are making a smaller batch or more water if you are making a bigger batch. Let them simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove any froth that floats to the top when boiling.
After the cook time is done, remove the chicken pieces and shred them in a bowl. Strain the broth. Set both the chicken and broth aside.
Like many other soups, making this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is very straight forward. If you are making your chicken soup using store bought chicken broth, which I did here, you can go ahead right away and start cutting the veggies into small diced pieces.
What is Orzo?
Orzo is a type of pasta shaped like the shape of rice, and it is made with semolina flour, which is made from durum wheat. It is used with many recipes such as salads, soups or cooked in recipes that you would use in place of rice. Orzo is typically not gluten free.
Can I freeze this Lemon Chicken Orzo recipe?
You can but as with any recipe with pasta, the orzo will become soft and mushy. I do not recommend freezing it.
Can I use other pasta in this soup?
Absolutely, you can use any type of smaller pastas like vermicelli, mini elbow, mini alphabet pasta, mini shell pasta or substitute with rice.
How to store Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
It keeps for 3-4 days, but I recommend eating it the next day if you have any leftovers because the texture of the Orzo will start becoming mushier as the days pass.
Other comforting recipes
- Lebanese Lentil Soup
- Spicy Arrabbiata Pasta
- Easy Baked Mac and Cheese
- Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta
- Vegetable Minestrone Soup
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb shredded rotisserie chicken, Substitute for 1 lb Chicken tenders or boneless thights (see blog post)
- 1 medium onion, petite diced
- 2 large celery Stalks, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 cups chicken broth or stock, low sodium
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp black pepper, fresh cracked
- 1 tsp salt, or more to taste
- 3/4 cup orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp ginger, freshly grated or powder
- 2 tsp. corn starch, plus 1 tbsp water to mix.
Instructions
- Dice the veggies and mince the garlic.Transfer them to a pot. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and then sauté until tender.
- Add in the chicken broth, salt, ginger and black pepper. Cover and allow to cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, shred the cooked chicken. Add in the shredded chicken after the 15 minutes is up. Let them cook together covered for another 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
- After the 15 minutes is up, add in the orzo pasta and parsley, stir and allow to cook for another 10 minutes.
- At this point you can add in the lemon juice and corn starch (mixed with 1 tbsp. of water). Allow to cook for 5 minutes and the soup is ready to serve!
- You can serve with some lemon wedges and crackers. Garnish with chopped parsley (optional)
Notes
- Yes, you san substitute chicken bread for chicken thighs or use both.
- To make life easier, use can use rotisserie chicken.
- You can use homemade or store bought broth, whichever you have time for!
- I also used lemon to make the soup a little citrusy. If you like a bold lemon flavor, you can add some lemon zest to the soup.
- The orzo will suck up more of the water so you don’t have to worry about thickening the broth too much.
- If you would like to thicken up your soup, you mix 1-2 tsps. of corn starch with a tablespoon of water in a small cup and pour it over towards the last 5 minutes of cooking while stirring, along with the lemon juice.
- Serve this delicious soup in a bowl with some lemon wedges and top with chopped parsley for garnishing. The garnishing is completely optional.
- love adding hot sauce into my soup. Super delicious!
