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A close-up of a bowl of homemade chicken orzo soup with carrots, spinach, and herbs, perfect for restaurant-style soup recipes at home.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

This recipe makes a comforting and flavorful lemon chicken orzo soup, perfect for a cozy meal. It uses simple ingredients and straightforward steps, making it ideal for novice cooks.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Pasta Cooking 5 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Soup
  • 8 ounces orzo pasta
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3 medium carrots, chopped or more to taste
  • 3 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 leaf bay leaf
  • 3 (32 ounce) cartons fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce) package baby spinach leaves
For Garnish (Optional)
  • 1 lemon sliced for garnish
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Colander

Method
 

  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.
  2. Meanwhile, 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, about 5 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.
  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.
  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.
  5. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese.
  6. Enjoy!

Notes

This soup is best served immediately. You can adjust the amount of lemon juice and zest to your preference.

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