Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

One pot of soup with fresh lemon slices in it and a soup ladle.

Easy one pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a cozy soup recipe with shredded chicken, vegetables, fresh lemon, small orzo pasta, all inside a lemony chicken broth. Simple to make in one pan - where even the chicken cooks in the same pot - and it's a soup that the whole family can enjoy for dinner.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken orzo soup, lemon chicken orzo soup, lemon orzo soup, orzo soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 242kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion finely diced
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic
8 cups chicken broth
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup orzo pasta
1 lemon juiced

Instructions

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, over medium heat, add the oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until the veggies are softened. About 5 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 small onion, 1 cup diced carrots, 1/2 cup diced celery, 3 cloves garlic
Increase the stove heat to high. Add the chicken broth, raw chicken breasts, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
8 cups chicken broth, 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 dried bay leaf, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Once boiling, cover the pot with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
^{* After the simmer time, ensure that the chicken is cooked all the way through to 165℉ before removing it from the pot.}
Remove the chicken from the pot to a plate and shred it with two forks. Add the shredded chicken and dry orzo pasta into the soup.
1 cup orzo pasta
Cook the soup until the orzo pasta is cooked through to your preferred al dente or softer texture. About 10 minutes. Make sure to stir the soup occasionally to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf before serving.
1 lemon

Notes

Serving Size & Nutrition Information : This soup serves 6 people, which each portion being large, at about 1 3/4 cup per serving. If feeding small kids, you can easily get 8 smaller portions from this soup.

Lemon : Only use a fresh lemon in this recipe. Bottled lemon juice just won't taste the same.

Chicken : Use two large pieces of chicken breast or equal to about 1 pound of chicken. If the pieces are larger I like to cut each chicken breast into smaller chunks to ensure that it cooks thoroughly in the cook time given. And yes, put the chicken into the soup raw.

Broth : Chicken stock can also be used, water + bouillon is another option, or use chicken paste + water. I suggest and recommend using full salt chicken broth and not the reduced-sodium broth in this recipe.

Nutrition