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
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!
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:
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!
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
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
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.
Print
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- 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
- 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
Ingredients
- 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
Method
- Heat the olive oil or ghee in a large pot or dutch oven.
- Season the chicken breast with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper on each side then set aside.
- Add the diced onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pot and saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- 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.
- 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.
- Next, add the orzo to the soup and let the soup simmer and cook (uncovered) for another 10 minutes until the orzo is tender.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken breast and then add it back to the pot.
- 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
