This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is cozy, bursting with flavor, and easy to make. It’s the perfect light, bright addition to your soup rotation – you’re going to love it!
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Recipe Tips
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Favorite Soup Recipes
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe Recipe
- Recipe Contributors
This recipe is…
Bursting with flavors of shallot, garlic, and thyme (sautéed in rich, delicious butter, no less), this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is truly unbelievably delicious. While there will always be a special place in my heart for classic Chicken Noodle Soup, this recipe definitely elevates the beloved chicken soup recipe. It’s going to be a regular in your kitchen this season!
Love the flavors here? We’ve got a couple of similar recipes that you’re bound to enjoy. Check out this Lemon Chicken Orzo Skillet (made in, you guessed it, one skillet, for the easiest family-friendly recipe ever) and this Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – made in one pot, this recipe is easy and doesn’t require a bunch of dishes (which means clean-up is easy also).
- It’s light and bright – Winter foods tend to be heavy, so this bright, flavorful soup will be a welcome addition to your soup rotation!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Ingredients
Though the ingredient list isn’t especially short, it is filled with super simple, affordable, accessible ingredients. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Shallot – we love the addition of shallot in this recipe, but if you can’t find shallots at your local grocery store or just want to use what you have on hand already, a regular yellow or white onion will work just fine here.
- Fresh thyme – a little fresh thyme goes a long way here, but again, if you want to use what you have, feel free to use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme in its place.
- Orzo – we used grain-free cassava orzo here, but any orzo that you love will work in this soup recipe.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it dairy-free – this is an easy one! Simply swap the butter for olive oil to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Make it gluten-free – make this recipe gluten-free, like we did, by using this cassava orzo in place of regular orzo.
How to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
For as impressive as this soup tastes, the recipe is really easy to pull off! Follow along below for the full how-to.
Step 1: In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium/high heat, add the olive oil. Season the chicken thighs with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and place salted-side down in the hot pan. Season the upward facing side with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Sear the chicken over medium/high heat until a golden brown char starts to develop, about 4-5 minutes. Flip over and sear for an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Step 2: To the same pot, add the butter, shallot, garlic, and thyme. Stir to combine and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until the shallot and garlic start to darken in color.
Step 3: Place the chicken back in the pot and add the chicken broth and remaining sea salt. Put lid on the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the orzo and stir to combine. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. I recommend stirring every 3-4 minutes to make sure the orzo doesn’t adhere to the bottom of the pot.
Step 4: Remove the chicken, shred with a fork and return to the bowl with the kale, lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining salt, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook just until the kale is wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fresh grated parmesan and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- If you’re using a cassava orzo (which is a gluten-free orzo) you’ll notice that your soup thickens as it cooks. It’s delicious with regular orzo (and less thick) or thicker with the cassava orzo!
- Make sure to stir the soup every 3-4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, after adding the orzo in so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
How to Serve
Serve this delicious soup garnished with fresh parmesan cheese and alongside a loaf of crusty bread. You’re going to be seriously impressed!
How to Store and Reheat
Store your soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Know that the orzo will continue to soak up the broth as it sits, so you will likely have a much thicker soup on days 2, 3, and 4 as you did when it was fresh. If that bothers you, simply add some extra chicken broth to the leftovers!
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! No need to cook the orzo before adding it to the pot. It’ll cook with the rest of the ingredients, absorbing all of the delicious flavors.
Yes! You’ll brown the chicken first to build some really delicious flavor and then let it cook to shreddable in the broth.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you tried this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 teaspoons sea salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped *See Note 1
- 8 ounces dried orzo
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 head lacinato kale, de-stemmed and cut into small pieces
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of 2 lemons, about ½ cup
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- Fresh parmesan, grated, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium/high heat, add the olive oil. Season the chicken thighs with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and place salted-side down in the hot pan. Season the upward facing side with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Sear the chicken over medium/high heat until a golden brown char starts to develop, about 4-5 minutes. Flip over and sear for an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- To the same pot, add the butter, shallot, garlic, and thyme. Stir to combine and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until the shallot and garlic start to darken in color.
- Place the chicken back in the pot and add the chicken broth and remaining sea salt. Put lid on the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the orzo and stir to combine. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. I recommend stirring every 3-4 minutes to make sure the orzo doesn't adhere to the bottom of the pot. Also note: if you're using a cassava orzo (which is a gluten-free orzo) you'll notice that your soup thickens as it cooks.
- Remove the chicken, shred with a fork and return to the bowl with the kale, lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining salt, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook just until the kale is wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fresh grated parmesan and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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