Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

5 from 7 votes

This lemon chicken orzo soup is simple, healthy, and packed with flavor! It is a quick one-pot recipe that is simply perfect for a nutritious and delicious meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean-Inspired

Keyword: chicken soup, lemon chicken orzo soup

Servings: servings

Calories: 413kcal

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion finely diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1.5 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks with bones and skin
salt and pepper to taste
3 carrots diced
2 stalks celery finely diced
6 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup orzo
½ lemon juiced, additional juice and zest to taste
parsley (optional) for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Then sauté the onion and garlic until the onion turns translucent.
Next, add the chicken to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until it has browned.
Now add the carrots, celery, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.
After letting the soup simmer, add the orzo. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for around 10 minutes until the orzo is tender.
Shortly before the soup is done cooking, take out the chicken and shred it with two forks. Then add back the chicken pieces.
Add the lemon juice and take out the bay leaf. Garnish with parsley (optional) and enjoy!

Notes

Lemon: I recommend starting with ½ lemon and adding more lemon juice or lemon zest if needed. If you use large lemons, start with less than ½ lemon.
Chicken broth: As the orzo soaks up some of the liquid, you might want to use more chicken broth than I did. I found 6 cups were perfect, but feel free to add more chicken broth if needed.

Nutrition