Homemade Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup is made with fresh veggies, tender chicken, and flavorful herbs, this Lemon Orzo Soup is the perfect cold-weather soup. It’s hearty, healthy, and absolutely delicious.
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This is one of my favorite recipes to make because I can use leftover chicken and make a whole new meal! In fact, I’ve found that my leftover Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken shredded up makes this meal even more delicious. It’s the perfect meal for a cool evening. You can also easily double or triple this recipe so that you can freeze a batch to enjoy later.
Let's take a quick look at the ingredients
• Chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• Sweet onion
• Carrot
• Celery
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh thyme- If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper
• Chicken broth
• Bay leaf
• Orzo
• Lemon juice
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe card!
How to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
This chicken orzo soup is super easy to make! You are going to love how the aroma fills your home as you cook it. Follow the steps below for a hearty meal.
Step 1: Saute Veggies First, heat your extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Then, add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook until the veggies are soft, about 10-12 minutes.
Step 2: Add Spices Next, add in your thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Add Chicken and Broth Stir in your chicken broth, chicken, and bay leaf. Bring the chicken to a rolling boil.
Step 4: Add Orzo and Simmer After the chicken is boiling, stir in the orzo. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow it to simmer, uncovered for 3- minutes. Stir often.
Step 5: Mix in Lemon Juice Remove your soup from the heat, remove the bay leaf, and stir in the lemon juice.
Serve and Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
1. Dice carrots into small pieces. Make sure to dice your carrots a little bit bigger than the size of a pea. If they are not cut small enough, they will not cook completely.
2. Use leftover chicken. This recipe is a great option for leftover chicken. Even rotisserie chicken from the grocery store works.
3. Stir frequently. Make sure to stir your soup frequently while it is simmering so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Do I Have to Use Chicken Breasts?
You can use any cut of chicken that you like. You will want your chicken to be shredded into the soup, though. So, you can use meat from chicken thighs, drumsticks, or even a whole chicken. If you prefer, you could also use leftover turkey instead of chicken. This would make a wonderful way to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving!
What is Orzo and Do I Have to Use It?
Orzo is also called Risoni. It is a short-cut pasta that is shaped like a grain of rice and delicious in this Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo. If you aren’t a fan of orzo, you can use other small pasta noodles instead. Ditalini pasta, acini de pepe, or orecchiette works well for soups.
How Do I Store Chicken Orzo Soup?
To store your soup, you need to let it cool first. Then, place any leftovers in a Tupperware bowl with a lid and store it in your fridge for 3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stove. Add water if you find it too thick.
Can I freeze it?
Yes! You can freeze this soup. I love making a double batch and freezing the second batch for later. To freeze, make the soup according to the recipe. Allow it to cool completely. This may take a few hours. Place the cooled soup in a Ziplock bag and place on a cookie sheet in the fridge. This will allow your soup to freeze flat so that you can easily store it.
To reheat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator and then heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. This is a great way to have hearty meals on hand for later use.
Other Soup Recipes to Try
Looking for more warm, hearty soups? Here’s a list of my favorite recipes!
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
Loaded Potato Soup
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Homemade Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 3 carrots peeled and diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup orzo uncooked
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Optional garnishes: parsley lemon slices
Instructions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken broth, chicken, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Stir in orzo.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally as orzo can stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Remove bay leaf.
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Yay Leslie! So happy you loved it 🙂
This was spectacular. I expected nothing less, because everything I’ve made of yours has been amazing! I used chicken stock instead of broth, because that was all I had. I loved how easy it was as well!