Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is light, healthy, and cozy. It uses wholesome everyday ingredients and is sure to become a family favorite.

I’ve made a lot of soups on here, but this lemon chicken soup with orzo is hands down the most beloved by my readers.

It’s just so comforting without being heavy, and people adore the bright lemony broth. This orzo soup is simple to make, so it’s a low-effort cozy soup.

• Prep: 10minutes mins
• Cook: 40minutes mins
• Total: 50minutes mins
• Servings: 6

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 sticks celery chopped finely
• ▢ 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
• ▢ 1/2 medium onion chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons flour
• ▢ 6 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1.5 pounds uncooked chicken breasts 
• ▢ 1 cup uncooked orzo
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or to taste
• ▢ Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

• Sauté the celery, carrots, and onions in a large soup pot with the butter and oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the flour and cook for another minute or so.
• Pour in the chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved, then add the Italian seasoning and chicken. Bring the soup to a boil.
• Cover the soup (lid slightly open), and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the orzo and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through. I keep the lid off and stir it fairly often because it tends to stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up, then add it back in. Add the lemon juice (you may want to add more than I suggest – I didn’t want to make the soup too lemony for some people), parsley, and season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately.

Notes

• You can sub the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer.
• Chicken is safe to eat at 165F and can go from undercooked to overcooked quickly, so I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer whenever cooking chicken so you’re not guessing.
• Use low-sodium chicken broth if you’re sensitive to salt. 
• You may need to add more chicken broth to leftovers as the orzo soaks it up.
• This recipe is also in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.