This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a delicious herby and bright soup filled with tender chicken and plenty of fresh herbs!

Why You’ll Love This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

  • It’s easy – soups are one of my favorite dishes because you just add everything to a pot and let it simmer until ready to eat!
  • It’s customizable – add extra veggies, more herbs, or a swap the pasta for white beans if you prefer!
  • It makes perfect leftovers – soups truly get better the day after (in my opinion) which makes this a great meal prep option!

Watch How to Make This Recipe

soup ingredients

Lemon Orzo Soup Ingredients

Chicken: you’ll need a little over a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Veggies: a combination of garlic, onion, carrot, and celery help to build a delicious base of flavor in this soup. At the end, you’ll stir in some fresh baby spinach for extra greens.

Chicken Broth: go with low-sodium chicken broth so that you can better control the amount of salt in the soup.

Herbs and Spices: dried bay leaves and fresh dill give this soup the best flavor. Trust me on the fresh dill…it just works!!

Orzo: orzo is a short cut pasta that looks very similar to a large grain of rice. This recipe calls for 3/4 a cup of dry which will be stirred into the soup. You can use whole wheat, white, or gluten free orzo – all will work!

Lemon Juice and Zest: this really brighten up the flavor of the soup!

onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in pot

Ingredient Substitutions and FAQs

  • Chicken – if you prefer, feel free to use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.
  • Veggies – you can swap the spinach for tuscan kale or add in chopped mushrooms or a bell pepper if you like!
  • Orzo – don’t have orzo or can’t seem to find any? swap it for another very small pasta like ditalini. If you prefer to keep this soup grain free, you can swap the orzo for white beans!

Helpful Kitchen Tools

This simple soup recipe is so easy to make but having a few of these staple kitchen tools will help make the process even easier!

Here are a few of my kitchen favorites: 

DUTCH OVEN

MEASURING CUP

MEASURING SPOONS

WOODEN SPOON

SOUP BOWLS

lemon chicken orzo soup in pot with spoon

How to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Step One: Heat the olive oil or ghee in a large pot or dutch oven. 

Step Two: Season the chicken breast with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper on each side then set aside.

Step Three: Add the diced onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pot and saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. 

Step Four: Add the chicken, 6 cups of chicken broth, bay leaves, turmeric powder, and salt to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Step Five: Let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the soup and set aside to rest.

Step Six: Next, add the orzo to the soup and let the soup simmer and cook (uncovered) for another 10 minutes until the orzo is tender.

Step Seven: Use two forks to shred the chicken breast and then add it back to the pot.

Step Eight: Lower the heat and add the baby spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest, and dill to the soup. Stir until well combined and the spinach begins to wilt. Give the soup a taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Enjoy!

lemon chicken orzo soup in pot

How to Store, Reheat, and Freeze

Store: store the soup in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Reheat: you can easily reheat this soup in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time or on the stovetop using a small pot. Because the orzo may soak up liquid as it sit, you may need to add more chicken broth or water to the soup when you reheat it.

Freeze: To freeze the soup, add it to an airtight container or freezer safe storage bags. Freeze the soup for up to three months. When you are ready to reheat and eat the soup, I recommend letting the soup thaw in the fridge first before reheating on the stovetop for the best results.

More Delicious Chicken Soup Recipes

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Healthy Chicken Soup

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Healthy Italian Wedding Soup

lemon chicken orzo soup in bowl

I hope you give this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup a try! It’s easy to make and so delicious!

If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.

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lemon chicken orzo soup in bowl

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 13 reviews
  • Author: Ashlea Carver
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Lunch and Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a delicious herby and bright soup filled with tender chicken and plenty of fresh herbs!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
  • 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
  • 3/4 cup uncooked orzo
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil or ghee in a large pot or dutch oven.
  2. Season the chicken breast with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper on each side then set aside.
  3. Add the diced onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pot and saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
  4. Add the chicken, 6 cups of chicken broth, bay leaves, turmeric powder, and salt to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  5. Let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the soup and set aside to rest.
  6. Next, add the orzo to the soup and let the soup simmer and cook (uncovered) for another 10 minutes until the orzo is tender.
  7. Use two forks to shred the chicken breast and then add it back to the pot.
  8. Lower the heat and add the baby spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest, and dill to the soup. Stir until well combined and the spinach begins to wilt. Give the soup a taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Enjoy!

Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA

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16 Comments

  1. Lisa L. Nirell says:

    This is the rainy fall day soup i have waited for.

    I reduced the dill portion and doubled the vegetable portions (not the onion!)

    Fresh squeezed lemon adds the piece de resistance.

    Thank you!






    1. Natalie Perkins (ATHT) says:

      So glad you loved this one, Lisa! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Family loved it! It was quick and easy to make, another great recipe! Ty






    1. Natalie Perkins (ATHT) says:

      I’m so glad you all loved it, Megan! Thanks for leaving a review!

  3. Oh my goodness! This soup is AMAZING! Simple to make, my house smells incredible, and the whole family loved it (7yo & 5yo included!). Another great recipe! Thank you!






  4. SO easy and bright and fresh and delicious. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Salt level was perfect.






  5. My hubby requested lemon orzo soup so naturally I came to ATHT because these recipes never fail! I love that this is truly a one pot recipe and very easy to make a fresh soup with whole ingredients from scratch. I especially love the addition of turmeric to the recipe. It tastes delicious and we’re looking forward to having it for lunch all week.






  6. Delicious and easy soup! I craved this even on 101 degree weather so you know it’s good!!!






  7. A perfect spring soup! Warm and nourishing while still being bright and fresh. The lemon and dill really brought it to the next level. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!






  8. C. Buchanan says:

    Dude. This is amazing with the dill and lemon! I used vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock and it turned out well! Try. this. recipe.






  9. Jennifer Sobel says:

    I just made it and it was delicious! Super satisfying, easy to make and it felt like real comfort food. I felt like I was loving myself for making it. Just the right amount of lemon juice to give it that kick. Will definitely be making again.






  10. So so so delicious!
    This soup come together in a snap and looked as good as it tasted. The lemon and dill really make the flavor pop and orzo is a nice departure from noodles or rice. This will go in my regular rotation for sure, thanks for the wonderful recipe!






  11. Elizabeth says:

    This was delicious! A perfect spring dinner when it’s still a little cool outside.






  12. pharmanda says:

    Seriously one of the tastiest soups I’ve ever made! It was so simple and quick to throw together and the payoff was huge. It’s beautiful and fresh and that lemony punch is perfection. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, it’s going in my regular rotation for sure!

  13. Susie Johnson says:

    Struck with a spring cold and came across your recipe. This is exactly what I needed to make for dinner tonight – You’re a life saver!!! Loved all the flavors married together in that great big pot so thank you for blessing me today with your talent for cooking! 😊❤️






  14. Casey Colodny says:

    Not only was this soup gorgeous, it smelled and tasted amazing!!!