Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo Recipe
A bright and comforting Lemon Chicken Soup featuring tender chicken breasts, fresh vegetables, and tangy lemon juice, combined with orzo pasta for a hearty, flavorful meal. This versatile recipe offers stovetop, crockpot, or Instant Pot methods to suit your kitchen preferences.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
Pasta and Finishing
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté diced carrots, chopped onion, celery, and minced garlic for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add seasonings and chicken: To the pot, add black pepper, dried parsley, dried thyme, salt, bay leaves, chicken breasts, and chicken broth. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Simmer the soup: Cover the pot and bring it to a boil, which should take about 10 minutes. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend the flavors.
- Remove chicken and bay leaves: Increase heat to medium-high, remove the chicken breasts from the soup and set aside. Then remove and discard the bay leaves from the broth.
- Cook orzo pasta in the soup: Add the orzo pasta to the pot and stir. Cook the orzo for half the recommended time on the package, as it will continue cooking off the heat.
- Shred the chicken: While orzo cooks, use two forks to shred the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
- Finish the soup: Remove the soup from heat. Stir the shredded chicken and fresh lemon juice into the pot. Combine everything well and serve hot.
- Optional pasta tip: For firmer pasta texture, cook the orzo separately and add it directly to individual servings when ready to eat.
Notes
- This recipe offers stovetop, crockpot, and Instant Pot adaptations for versatile preparation.
- Use fresh lemon juice for the best bright and tangy flavor.
- Low sodium broth allows you to control the saltiness of the soup.
- Shredding chicken with forks helps maintain tender texture that soaks up the broth.
- The orzo cooks in the broth partially to absorb the soup’s flavor; adjust cooking time if preferring firmer pasta.
- Bay leaves should always be removed before serving to avoid an unpleasant taste.
Keywords: lemon chicken soup, chicken soup with lemon, orzo chicken soup, healthy chicken soup, easy chicken soup recipe
Find it online: https://kitchenbyrita.com/lemon-chicken-soup-with-orzo-recipe/
