Main Dishes · 45 minutes

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Name: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4-5 servings
Ingredients: 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken breast; 1 tablespoon olive oil; Salt, for seasoning chicken; 2 carrots, diced; 2 celery stalks, diced; 1 small yellow onion, diced; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 3 tablespoons flour; 8 cups chicken broth; 1 to 2 lemons; 1 cup orzo; 1/4 cup parsley, chopped; Parmesan, for topping

By Frida Sofia45 min totalServes 4-5 servings

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I know it’s in the middle of summer, but I’m definitely gearing up for soup season. This one’s still a summer soup though, super lemony, full of flavor and broth, filling enough to be dinner, and perfect to make on a Sunday so you’ve got lunch all week.

Why You'll Love This

•One pot, one mess
•Comfort food
•Great as meal prep

Ingredients

Chicken breast

Goes in first so it can pick up flavor while browning, then gets shredded back into the soup later. Swap for boneless thighs if you want something richer, or a rotisserie chicken if you want to skip the browning step entirely, just shred and add it in with the orzo.

Carrots, celery and onion

A classic base, they create the flavor foundation for the broth. No real swap needed here, this trio is doing exactly what it should.

Flour

This gives the broth a little body instead of being totally thin and watery. If you want it gluten free, a cornstarch slurry works as a swap, just add it at the end instead of with the vegetables.

Orzo

Makes this filling without being heavy. Swap for a small pasta shape like ditalini, or rice if you want it more like a classic chicken soup.

Fridge and Freezing

This soups keeps well for up to 4 days in an airtight container. The orzo will keep absorbing broth as it sits, so add a splash of extra broth or water when reheating if it’s gotten thick.
Freezes well for up to 3 months, though I’d suggest freezing it without the orzo if you can, since pasta gets mushy after freezing and thawing. If you’ve already got it all mixed together, it’s still totally fine to freeze, just know the texture of the orzo will soften more the second time around.