Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a healthy, fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavor! It is full of delicious vegetables, tender orzo pasta and hearty chunks of chicken. This is pure comfort food that is easy to make and everyone will be standing in line for seconds!
Full of vegetables, tender pasta and chunks of chicken Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a quick and easy meal!
I am taking full advantage of the winter months and wanted to share with you another delicious soup! Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. Now I know I say this a lot….but it’s true, this is one of my very favorites. It’s not a very popular soup and I’m really not quite sure why?
That definitely needs to change!
I was talking to my Mom recently about carbs and pasta. The best way to enjoy them in your diet without overdoing it. Many of my family members are diabetic, so carbs are always a concern. Mom was saying when she makes spaghetti, she only uses about a nickel’s worth of dry pasta (unlike me who pours the whole box in) for just the two of us….
So along these lines, when I was working on this recipe, I’ve made it more times than I can count. The first time I made it I made a HUGE batch and (wrote the recipe accordingly) using 3 quarts of chicken stock and well….since it’s just Dan and I, we ate this for days.
You know what I always say… Soup is good food!
The second time I made this I used less chicken stock but did not adequately reduce the amount of pasta and ended up with a lemony orzo chicken casserole rather than soup, which though quite delicious, was not what I was going for either…
Just like Goldilocks and The Three Bears the third time was just right!
I reduced the orzo to 1/3 of a cup (seriously down from the full cup I started with.) Resulting in a creamy, delicious, lemony and light soup. A satisfying meal to serve for an easy lunch and paired with a salad, a delicious dinner!
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Steps to make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- peel and dice the vegetables – sauté
- add the stock and lemon juice, bring to a boil
- add the pasta and boil until al dente
- remove from heat, stir in the diced cooked chicken and cream.
Simple enough, right?
The bright lemony flavor of this delicious soup makes it a hands down favorite!
I love this meal because most of the time I make it, I’m utilizing leftovers. It only takes a bit of chicken, white meat or dark meat, either will work. It’s a quick meal but it doesn’t compromise on flavor.
Grocery List for Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- leftover cooked chicken
- onion, celery, carrots and garlic
- orzo pasta
- chicken stock
- half and half or heavy cream (I’ve even used sour cream in a pinch)
- parmesan cheese
- one lemon
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe. Have you tried it? Do you love this recipe? Be sure to rate it five stars below!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a healthy, fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavor! It is full of vegetables, tender orzo pasta and hearty chunks of chicken. This is pure comfort food that is easy to make and everyone will be standing in line for seconds!
Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a healthy, fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavor! It is full of vegetables, tender orzo pasta and hearty chunks of chicken. This is pure comfort food that is easy to make and everyone will want seconds!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1/3 cup orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
In a large stockpot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery - season with salt, pepper (red & black) and add the bay leaf. Sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the garlic & saute until fragrant, about another 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, zest, chicken stock. Bring to a boil & add the orzo, stirring occasionally.
Cook uncovered, stirring constantly - this will release the starch in the soup and help thicken it. Cook until the orzo is just al dente - depending on the brand 6-9 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the chicken and cream & heat thru.
Remove the bay leaf & adjust seasonings if necessary (may need a bit more salt & pepper). It's ready to serve!
Recipe Notes
* If you like a really thick stew rather than soup, increase the amount of pasta to 1/2 cup.
You’ll have some leftover orzo after making this soup and here are some delicious recipes to make and enjoy to use up those leftovers!
- Lemony Chicken and Orzo Salad from Garlic and Zest
- Lemon and Spinach Orzo from All Our Way
If you’re looking for a couple recipes to compare this one with Damn Delicious serves up a great bowl and you can find that recipe by clicking here.
More chicken soup recipes? Here are a few more of my favorites.
Combining tortellini, chicken and veggies for a quick and delicious soup!
What to make for dinner? How about Chicken Tortellini Soup – only 30 minutes to make and so delicious, it’s a great meal to serve your family.
You’ll want all ingredients to fit onto your spoon for every delicious bite!
Want that slow cooked soup without all the work and time? Easy Chicken and Dumpling Soup uses a rotisserie chicken and store bought chicken stock, delish!
Just like the casserole this bowl is filled with delicious creamy cheesiness. Unlike the casserole, this meal only takes 30 minutes!
Are you hungry? 30 minutes and this big pot of Chicken Tetrazzini Stew will be ready to serve! This makes eight generous servings and will also freeze well.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is creamy, delicious, lemony and light. It’s a 30 minute, satisfying soup to serve for an easy lunch or dinner!
This sounds perfect and I’d love a bowl right now! It’s cold and windy today!
It’s cold here today too, but I bet your cold is lots colder Patty – I’ve turned into a whimp since I moved from the Midwest, I like my Fresno winters much better! I hope you enjoy the soup!
The simplicity of this soup is just perfect. I love the pop of lemon. So Yum!
Thanks KC – just love this soup!
This looks amazing! So comforting and fresh!
Thanks Florian, I hope you give this a try!
I have made this exact soup. It is such a good combination of flavors and your soup looks wonderful.
I hear you Peter, there are many version of this soup and for good reason, it’s so wonderful! Thanks for stopping by!!
This looks so good. I’m pretty sure that orzo is my favorite pasta. Such a warm and comforting bowl of goodness!
One of my favorites too, I think it’s really underused – unfortunate because it’s soooo good!
Lemon orzo chicken soup is one of my favorites. I’m always up for trying another version! Thanks for the recipe!
You bet! I seen your recipe today also and it looked so delicious – great minds think alike! 😀
Great flavor, texture, and comfort in this soup; what a fantastic job! Thanks for sharing!
This is the most delicious looking soup I have seen. I am starting to use more orzo in my diet, so, it is nice to see this recipe.
I’m all over this soup! Next time my daughter is home from college I’m making a big pot of this, all of her favorite flavors!
She will love it Lori, I hope you get a chance to give it a try!! Thanks for stopping by!
Don’t mind if I do! A recipe after my own heart!!!
Oh yes, this is right up your alley! :D.
This soup sounds divine!!! Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing on the Let’s Get Real blog hop 🙂
Absolutely, always a great party – thank you!!
This looks really good! I would love to have you share this on my linky party -What’s for Dinner!
http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-27/
Thanks for sharing!!
You bet – excited to be invited to a new party!
Thank you for the invite, heading your way now!
Hey Deb,
This is such a beautiful way to use orzo. I think it’s so under-rated.
I am pinning this for use. Will be testing out the recipe. And if it is as good as it sounds and looks, I will be featuring it in my Jan 2016 roundup. Just giving you a headsup.
Thank you so much for sharing this.
Cheers!
How exciting Shreyashi! I hope you really enjoy it, I know we just love this soup! (In fact I’m making some for my Mom in law again today!)
I’m giving this a try for my Mother-in-law. She just had surgery on her mouth and can’t really chew, so I thought this would be great if I omitted the veg and chicken, focus just on the very flavorful broth and orzo. She loves the avgolemono soup at a local pizza shop but Is allergic to egg, so I am trying to give her the same flavors. I think the cream will give some of the rich texture without the egg. Thanks for the recipe!
How kind of you to cook for her while she is healing, that’s just wonderful! This soup is so delicious and flavorful, one of my very favorites! Another thing you can do is blend it all together really well – that would be very easy for her also. Just a thought! Happy Saturday to you!
Oh I LOVE your soups! And this one is no exception! I mean – what can be better than a nourishing one-pot meal like this soup! What a great recipe!
Thanks you Liza, this one is so easy and good. It’s light too and the lemon makes it refreshing. We LOVE this one, I hope you do too!