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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

4

80 min

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 1

Time

80 min

Serving

12 persons

Calories

167

Rating

4.00★ (489)

Cuisine

Author: Victoria Buriak
This lemon chicken orzo soup is inspired by Panera Bread's version. 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 very favorite soup recipes.

Ingredients

  • orzo pasta: 8 ounces
  • olive oil: 1 tsp
  • carrots: 3 medium (chopped, to taste)
  • celery: 3 ribs (chopped)
  • onion: 1 medium (chopped)
  • garlic: 2 clove (minced)
  • thyme: 0.5 tsp (dried)
  • oregano: 0.5 tsp (dried)
  • salt and ground black pepper: 0 piece (to taste)
  • bay leaf: 1 piece
  • fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth: 3 cartons (32 ounce cartons)
  • lemon juice: 0.5 cup (fresh)
  • lemon, zested: 1 piece
  • chicken breast: 8 ounces (chopped, cooked)
  • baby spinach leaves: 1 pack (8 ounce pack)
  • lemon: 1 piece (sliced; for garnish, optional)
  • Parmesan cheese: 0.25 cup (grated, optional)

Metric Conversion

Stages of cooking

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 21
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 32
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 43
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 54
  1. 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.
    Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 2
  2. 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, 5 to 7 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.
    Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 3
  3. Bring broth to a boil. Partially cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.
    Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 4
  4. 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.
    Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Photo 5

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