This lemon chicken orzo soup is comfort in a bowl. It is so flavorful with tender pieces of chicken in a lemony broth with orzo pasta, carrots, onions, celery, and baby spinach. This has quickly become one of my family’s favorite soup recipes.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
This lemon chicken orzo soup is comfort in a bowl. It is so flavorful with tender pieces of chicken in a lemony broth with orzo pasta, carrots, onions, celery, and baby spinach. This has quickly become one of my family's favorite soup recipes.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orzo pasta
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 medium carrots chopped, or more to taste
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 32 ounce cartons fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 lemon zested
- 8 ounces cooked chicken breast chopped
- 8 ounce package baby spinach leaves
- 1 lemon sliced for garnish (Optional)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Optional
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in orzo and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered until partially cooked through but not yet soft, about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water until cooled completely.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften and onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Season mixture with thyme, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper; continue cooking another 30 seconds before pouring chicken broth into the pot.
- Bring broth to a boil. Partially cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir orzo, lemon juice, and lemon zest into broth; add chicken. Cook until chicken and orzo are heated through, about 5 minutes. Add baby spinach; cook until spinach wilts into broth and orzo is tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese.
