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Fresh and light, this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is made in about 30 minutes, which makes it a perfect weeknight dinner recipe! #soup #dinnerrecipe #orzo #lemonchicken #chickensoup #stovetop #souprecipe #easyrecipe #weeknight #30minutemeal
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5 from 15 votes

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

Comforting and light, this Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo is ready in about 30 minutes!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken soup
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 193kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup dried orzo pasta, uncooked
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 sprig fresh oregano
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp fresh parsley, minced

Instructions

  • Add olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a large dutch oven or stockpot and heat over medium heat. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Add chicken to dutch oven and cook 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Set chicken aside on a plate.
  • Add remaining butter to dutch oven, then add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in dried thyme.
  • Pour in chicken broth and water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the dutch oven. Bring to a boil.
  • While soup is coming up to a boil, shred chicken using two forks. Once soup is starting to boil, stir in shredded chicken, orzo, bay leaf and add sprigs of rosemary and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, until orzo is tender.
  • Remove and discard bay leaf and rosemary/oregano sprigs. Stir in lemon juice and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Notes

 

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS:

  1. Omit butter and olive oil from recipe.
  2. Add all ingredients except orzo, lemon juice and parsley.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. 
  3. 30 minutes before serving, remove bay leaf, rosemary and oregano sprigs, and shred chicken.
  4. Add orzo, lemon juice and parsley.  Cover and cook on LOW for 30 minutes.  Stir every 10 minutes or so to prevent sticking.

 

INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS:

  1. Turn pot on to the sauté setting. When the pot is hot add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, dried thyme and garlic.  Stir.
  3. Add the broth, water, lemon juice, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, and orzo.  Stir.
  4. Secure the lid and set the steam release to the sealing position.
  5. Press the pressure cook or manual button, then press the +/- button to select 8 minutes.
  6. When cooking is completed, release the steam/pressure in short bursts at first, then longer bursts, until you're sure none of the soup will spew out from too much pressure.  Fully open the steam release.
  7. Stir in parsley and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 308mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3545IU | Vitamin C: 3.4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
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