Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe combines roasted chicken, orzo pasta, onions, celery, carrots, and spinach in a perfectly seasoned broth with a squeeze of lemon. It is a refreshing, fulfilling, taste-tantalizing experience. Using already baked rotisserie chicken for this recipe makes it easy to get it on the table in less than thirty minutes.

This is a hearty meal, but for a guest-worthy meal, I like to serve it with homemade rolls and rocket salad.  Sometimes we serve the soup with a slice of coconut cream pie for dessert.  Whatever you decide to serve with it I am sure you will get rave reviews.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Oil: vegetables, canola, or olive oil
• Spices: dried marjoram and thyme, crushed rosemary, and bay leaves. Other seasonings might include Italian parsley, sage, or basil.
• Chicken broth: preferably low-sodium
• Orzo: It is a small rice-shaped pasta and can be found in the same grocery aisle as the other dried pasta.
• Cooked chicken: Any cooked chicken will work. I use rotisserie chicken but you can also use poached, baked, or grilled chicken breast or thighs.
• Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice for the best aroma and flavor.
• Baby spinach:  regular spinach can be used, but remove the large stems

How to make Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup

This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.

This soup is so easy that even a weeknight is doable. Cook your vegetables in a little oil until soft.  Then add your garlic and spices cooking for just a minute. Stir in the flour cooking for a couple of minutes while stirring. 

Add the chicken stock and the bay leaves and bring it to a low boil for a few minutes. Next, add the orzo and the chicken simmering till the orzo is tender. Add the lemon juice and spinach cooking just until the spinach wilts. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves. They are sharp and stiff and could pose a choking hazard.

Preparation Tips

• Don’t forget to remove your bay leaves.  They are sharp and stiff and could pose a choking hazard.
• For added lemon flavor add a little fresh lemon zest to each bowl. 
• If reserving some of the soup for freezing or leftovers remove that portion before adding the pasta. Then add the pasta when reheating the soup. That way the pasta won’t be swollen or mushy.

Serving Suggestions

This is a hearty soup all by itself but for those times when you need a little something extra try:

• Grilled cheese
• Garden salad
• Beer bread with cheddar
• Cheddar pull-apart bread
• French baguettes with soft butter
• Creamy cucumber tomato salad
• Avocado salad
• Grilled vegetables

Store and Reheat

Start by cooling the soup.  For a quick and immediate (especially for soups with pasta), cool down, place the pot in an ice bath, and stir to cool. Do not submerge it.

Ladle the cooled soup into quart or gallon-size freezer bags.  Be sure to mark the bags with the date and the contents.  Keep in mind that liquids expand when frozen, so leave about an inch at the top of the bag for expansion. On the flip side you don’t want it to get freezer burnt so remove any excess air.

Lay the bags down in a single layer on cookie sheets in the freezer.  Once fully frozen stack the bags in the freezer to save on space. Remember to thaw in the fridge overnight.  Reheat on the stove-top on low or in the microwave at a reduced power so as not to overcook any ingredients

More Chicken Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

This easy 30 minute Lemon Chicken Orzo soup is loaded with roasted chicken, veggies, and orzo in a creamy chicken broth with a touch of lemon juice.

4.98 from 38 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Greek

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 ribs celery chopped
• 3 carrots peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon crushed rosemary
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• ¾ cup orzo pasta
• 3 cups cooked cubed chicken breasts or chicken thighs
• 1 lemon juiced
• 3 cups baby spinach
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat oil in Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and carrots.  Cook until the onions and celery are soft; approximately 6-7 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add garlic, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
• Raise heat to medium low. Sprinkle flour over vegetables; cook for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly stir in chicken broth.  Add bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil; stirring several times.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer.  Add the orzo and chicken and cook until the orzo is tender; 8-10 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice and spinach cooking until the spinach is wilted.
• Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.  For best results serve promptly.

Notes

• Don’t forget to remove your bay leaves.  They are sharp and stiff and could pose a choking hazard.
• For added lemon flavor add a little fresh lemon zest to each bowl. 
• If reserving some of the soup for freezing or leftovers remove that portion before adding the pasta. Then add the pasta when reheating the soup. That way the pasta won’t be swollen or mushy.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6600IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg

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