This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is hearty and delicious. Packed full of healthy veggies, herbs, chicken chunks and a squeeze of lemon to lift the flavours, this is the perfect soup to make if you’re feeling under the weather or you just need warming up!
Happy New Year! I really hope you are all doing well and 2023 is off to a great start for you.
I spent the first week of the year in the kitchen creating some wholesome, warming, easy recipes that are healthyish but also deliver a hefty dose of comfort. There’s been a lot of “bowl food”. After all, that’s what we need at this time of year, don’t we?
I’ve made this chicken orzo soup recipe a few times over the past couple of weeks and it’s one of my new favourites. I have a bowl of soup almost every day during the Winter months with some bread.
I always feel better for knowing I have tasty homemade soup in the fridge, waiting to be heated up whenever I feel like some.
This is a simple, cosy recipe to kick off the New Year. I hope you try it and love it!
ingredients
- olive oil to soften the vegetables.
- Celery adds a depth of flavour to just about any dish. Even if you don’t like celery, I would encourage you to try it in soup recipes. If you chop it up finely enough, you won’t even know it’s there.
- Onions, leeks and carrots
- fresh herbs. I used fresh rosemary and thyme. If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use 1 teaspoon each dried. If you don’t have fresh or dried herbs, don’t worry. You can just omit them.
- I added a couple of garlic cloves for flavour and to help keep the Winter bugs away!
- Chicken. I used skinless boneless chicken breasts, but you also could use chicken thigh meat. If you happen to have leftover roast chicken meat, this is the perfect recipe to use it up! **see how to below for further information**
- hot chicken stock. Use whatever you like best, but I like the chicken stock pots you can buy in most supermarkets.
- Orzo pasta. Orzo adds an almost creamy texture to the soup that’s not unlike risotto. It’s so good!
- I threw in a couple of handfuls of Kale during the last minute of cooking time for extra goodness. You could use spinach instead if you like, or simply add a generous amount of chopped parsley.
- a squeeze of fresh lemon juice really lifts the flavours of the soup.
how to make chicken orzo soup
(keep scrolling to the bottom of the post to find printable recipe card with recipe amounts and detailed instructions)
- Chop the onion, leek, celery, and carrot into fairly small pieces. Finely chop the herbs, if using. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
- Add the chopped veggies and herbs, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, turn down the heat to low and allow them to “sweat” for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally. Don’t allow them to turn brown.
- Once the vegetables have softened, remove them from the pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a dish. Turn up the heat, add the diced chicken pieces and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Return the cooked vegetables to the pan along with the orzo pasta and chicken stock. Stir, bring to the boil, then immediately turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the orzo has softened.
- **If you’re using cooked leftover chicken, add it with the orzo**
- Finally, add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Start off with half a lemon, then taste and see if you want to add more. Stir in the kale and cook for a further minute or so until the kale has wilted slightly but is still vibrantly green. Season the soup to taste.
serving suggestions
This soup is pretty filling, so it really is a meal in itself. Having said that, some good bread is always a welcome accompaniment. I would never turn down some homemade tiger bread.
storage instructions
Any leftover soup will keep for up to three days in the fridge. It will thicken up quite a lot, so you’ll need to add extra stock or water on reheating.
can you freeze lemon chicken orzo soup?
Yes you can indeed freeze this soup. Store in airtight freezer safe containers or thick freezer bags. It will keep for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
did you make this recipe?
I hope you love it! Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below – and rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card.
more warming soup recipes for a cold day
- Take a look my soup archive for even more recipes!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
How to make lemon chicken orzo soup - a hearty, warming meal in a bowl! Ready to eat in just 30 minutes, this soup is delicious and so good for you.
Ingredients
- one tablespoon olive oil
- one stick of celery, finely diced
- one large onion, finely diced
- 1 small leek, finely sliced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into small dice
- one tablespoon finely chopped rosemary needles
- one tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 300g skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs (or leftover cooked chicken - see recipes notes)
- 150g orzo pasta
- 1.5 litres chicken stock
- Juice of a fresh lemon
- 100g fresh kale (optional)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped veggies and herbs, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, turn down the heat to low and allow them to "sweat" for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally. Don't allow them to turn brown.
- Once the vegetables have softened, remove them from the pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Turn up the heat, add the diced chicken pieces and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Return the cooked vegetables to the pan along with the orzo pasta and chicken stock. Stir, bring to the boil, then immediately turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the orzo has softened.
- Finally, add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Start off with half a lemon, then taste and see if you want to add more. Stir in the kale and cook for a further minute or so until the kale has wilted slightly but is still vibrantly green.
Notes
**If you're using cooked leftover chicken, add it at the same time as the orzo**
If you have any leftover parmesan rinds in the fridge, add one to the soup. it will add a new level of flavour!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 533mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 3gSugar: 12gProtein: 30g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.