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Rotisserie chicken, orzo, and veggies are paired with a bright, lemony broth in this lemon chicken orzo soup. This easy soup will add a bit of brightness to a cold, dreary day.
It’s soup season!
Every year I get excited for colder weather because it means I can bust out my soup pot and make one of my very favorite foods: soup!
Whether it’s a cheesy loaded baked potato soup, a hearty beef and barley stew, or my low carb zuppa toscana, I love them ALL.
This lemon chicken orzo soup is one that adds a little bit of sunshine into a gloomy fall or winter day. It’s loaded with chicken, veggies, and plenty of lemon and dill for tons and tons of flavor.
As an added bonus, it comes together pretty quickly, so it’s a great recipe to make on a weeknight when you’re low on time and energy.
Bright and lemony chicken orzo soup
This lemon chicken orzo soup is like chicken noodle soup taken up a notch or two.
This soup pairs shredded rotisserie chicken, carrots, spinach, and orzo pasta with the bright flavors of lemon and dill in a silky broth.
If you’ve ever had avgolemono – a Greek lemon chicken soup made with rice – this recipe is similar, but made with orzo instead of the traditional rice.
I love using orzo in recipes like my one-pot lemon chicken and orzo, Greek orzo salad, and zucchini orzo casserole. It’s a cute little pasta that cooks up pretty quickly and is a great addition to a ton of recipes.
This soup comes together quickly, making it a great weeknight dinner recipe. Once you prep your ingredients, the soup itself only takes about 30 minutes to cook.
The lemon and dill in the broth give this soup a bright flavor that makes even the dreariest winter day feel more sunshiny.
How to make my lemon chicken orzo soup recipe
This easy soup comes together quickly for a comforting meal you can throw together any night of the week.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make my lemon chicken orzo soup, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick coins
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Meat from 1 rotisserie chicken (about 4 cups)
- 2 packed cups fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
I love using the meat from a rotisserie chicken as the base for tons of dinner recipes. Whether I’m making a soup, buffalo chicken sliders, or chicken pot pie casserole, it’s my favorite shortcut.
If you can’t get your hands on a rotisserie chicken, you’ll need about 4 cups of cooked and cubed or shredded chicken for this recipe.
I prefer this soup with a mix of carrots, onion, and spinach. If you like celery, feel free to swap a couple of the carrots for 2 diced stalks of celery.
I know that eggs seem like a weird ingredient for soup, but trust me here. Just like in avgolemono, the eggs will help slightly thicken the stock and give it a silky texture – I promise it won’t taste like eggs!
Making this soup
To get started, grab your favorite soup pot and place it over medium heat. Add the olive oil, along with the carrots, onions, and a pinch of salt.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. This usually takes around 8 minutes for me.
Once the onion is soft, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, then add the chicken stock. Let the mixture come to a simmer.
Once the stock is simmering, add the orzo. Continue to simmer, stirring the soup occasionally, for 8-9 minutes or until the orzo is just nearly cooked through.
While the orzo is simmering, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl or measuring cup. When the orzo is nearly done, slowly drizzle 1/2 cup of the hot stock into the egg mixture, whisking thoroughly as you add it in.
Add the egg mixture into the soup pot along with the chicken. Let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes before adding the spinach and the dill.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired before serving.
Make-ahead and storage tips
This lemon chicken orzo soup can also be made ahead and reheated when you’re ready to eat.
If you’re making it the night before or in the morning, go ahead and make the recipe as written. You can leave the spinach out and add it just before serving if you want it to be less wilted.
If you plan to freeze the soup, I suggest waiting to add the orzo and spinach. The orzo can soak up a lot of the broth and get mushy after freezing and thawing.
When you reheat the soup, bring it to a simmer and add the uncooked orzo. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then add in the spinach before serving.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 carrots peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick coins
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups uncooked orzo
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Meat from 1 rotisserie chicken about 4 cups
- 2 packed cups fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, carrots, and onions with a pinch of salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 more minute; add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, add the orzo. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for 8-9 minutes or until the orzo is nearly cooked through.
- While the orzo cooks, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice in a bowl or measuring cup. Once the orzo is nearly done, slowly drizzle about ½ cup of the hot stock into the egg mixture, whisking to combine.
- Pour the egg mixture into the soup pot, stirring well to combine. Add the chicken and let the soup simmer over low heat for about another 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach and dill. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.