Change a couple of ingredients in your Chicken Noodle Soup and you will have a fresh and Easy Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup perfect for any lunch or dinner.
My family never likes me to "experiment" with what they already enjoy; rearranging the furniture (that always threw them for a loop, too) or changing a recipe. So, instead of our normal chicken soup, I told my family that this was a "new" recipe, "Easy Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup." They love it and now they request this soup with the pasta that looks like rice.
The addition of lemon really gives the soup a somewhat unexpected fresh and tangy flavor. Just enough to perk up your senses! And, of course, add a side salad and some Gr8 homemade bread!
Adding cooked chicken makes this an easy pot of soup to make especially when you have left over chicken to use. Another idea would be to buy a roasted chicken from the market or why not use any leftover turkey from your holiday meal in place of the chicken.
Enjoy!
Other Gr8 Soups to enjoy:
- Shredded Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Winter Minestrone
- Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
- Italian Vegetable Soup
- Spicy and Sweet Potato Soup
Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, sliced (about ¼" slices)
- 2 stalks celery, sliced (about ¼" slices)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 1 lemon, zested
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 ½ - 2 lemons needed
- 2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 large handfuls fresh spinach
- grated parmesan, to sprinkle on top of the soup
- lemon wedges , for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium size dutch oven or soup pot.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery and bay leaf and stir to combine with the oil. Cook for about 7 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the garlic and salt and pepper to the vegetable mixture and stir while cooking for another minute.
- Add the broth and over medium-high heat bring the soup to a low boil.
- Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, chicken and orzo and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
- Stir in the spinach right before serving.
- Serve with grated parmesan sprinkled on top and extra lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Kyle
Thank you Lon for the feedback! So glad you are enjoying it! Thanks for being a Gr8 Friend!!!
Claudia Kerns
Just made Kyle's Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup!! Highly recommend! Lasts for a few days and taste better each day. A family favorite!!