Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup – On My Kids Plate

By Kristy Richardson on April 21, 2024 | Updated April 21, 2024 | 6 Comments

Cozy lemon chicken orzo soup is bright, warm and cozy! Juicy chicken bites in a flavorful lemony broth sit side by side with bites of carrots, brightly colored spinach and tender orzo pasta in every spoonful. This delicious soup is perfect for lunch, dinner or any time you want to snuggle down with a bowl.

Why We Love Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

• Light But Cozy– I love making chicken soup with orzo as an alternative to regular chicken noodle soup recipe. It makes a great lunch, and works well for meal prep or sick days. Fresh soup tastes so yummy when you are sick, and this one has so much flavor.
• Easy To Make – The ingredient list on this lemon chicken orzo soup includes a lot of pantry and fridge staples, so you won’t be searching for strange ingredients for this delicious meal.
• Family Friendly Flavor– The lemon flavor on this soup is on the lighter side because that’s the amount of lemon my family enjoyed best. This soup is easily adjusted to your own tastes to include more or less bright citrus flavors so it is absolutely delicious for your own tastes.

I originally made this as a copycat Panera lemon chicken orzo soup recipe. My kid really enjoyed that soup, and we decided to make our own version for our table at home. It’s way less expensive to make it yourself and makes the best soup!

Ingredients For Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 white onion diced, about ¼ of a medium onion
• 2 large carrots about 1 cup diced carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter salted
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 64 ounces low sodium chicken broth– you can also use your favorite chicken stock but you may need to add a little more water to the soup if it’s a thicker stock. Homemade chicken broth can also be used if you prefer.
• 1 pound of chicken breast – I used boneless skinless chicken breast. You can also use rotisserie chicken or precooked leftover chicken, see notes at the bottom of the page. Dark meat like boneless chicken thighs can also be used.
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon oregano – dried
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme – dried
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup of orzo dried
• 1 large lemon juice – about 2-3 tablespoons or one fresh lemon, it’s best to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe
• 1 cup spinach diced I always dice the spinach a little so it fits one the spoon better, even if it’s baby spinach.

How To Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

1. Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven or soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion and diced carrots in the pan and sauté. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the carrots and onions have softened.

2. Turn the stove down to medium heat. Place the butter in the pot with the carrots and onions. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Place the flour to the pot and stir quickly for about a minute. Pour 64 ounces of low sodium chicken broth and one cup of water to the pot. Add the oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot.

4. Turn up the heat to high then add the chicken breast. Bring the entire pot to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and cover the pot. Allow the chicken to simmer in the pot for 10- 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. This time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken.
5. Remove the chicken from the pot and dice into bite sized pieces then set aside. You can also make it shredded chicken with two forks if you prefer.

6. Add the orzo pasta to the pot and turn the heat back up to medium- high. Cook the orzo pasta in the soup for ten minutes or until tender and al dente. Stir occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
7. Add the cooked chicken back to the soup. Add the juice from half of a lemon into the soup. Taste and add the second half of the lemon if you prefer. Place the diced spinach into the pot and stir until wilted, about one minute. Serve and enjoy!

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe Variations

Try Adding Kale– While I prefer spinach, kale is another great addition in this soup. Make sure to remove the tough kale stems. You can also use frozen kale.

Top With Parmesan Cheese– The saltiness of the parmesan cheese is delicious on top of this soup!

Add Fresh Herbs– If you have fresh herbs on hand, flavors like fresh thyme, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley or even fresh basil are delicious in this soup. Chop them and add them at the end to give the soup a fresh lift. I’ll be sure to add some fresh herbs at the end if I have them next time, so tasty!

Make It Creamy– To make this soup creamy, you can finish it with a drizzle of heavy cream or half and half in the pot right before serving. I recommend using between 1/4 and 1/2 cup to your taste.

Make The Broth Look More Yellow- A pinch of turmeric in this soup gives the broth even more of a delicious yellow appearance. This is especially helpful if you add cream to the soup, which will make the soup appear more white.

How Long Does This Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe Last?

Expect this soup to last for about three days in the refrigerator if you store soup in an airtight covered container.

This lemon chicken orzo soup can be frozen and will be delicious when reheated. If I am reheating the soup from frozen I sometimes add an extra squeeze of fresh lemon when serving.

Why Does The Orzo Soak Up The Broth When Storing Leftover Soup?

This soup will thicken on the second day. Expect to add a little water when reheating leftover soup the next day or defrosting frozen soup as the orzo will expand and absorb some or even most of the broth. It’s still wonderful recipe to make and enjoy for lunches as meal prep..

You can cook the orzo separately and add it back to the pot after boiling it in water. This can sometimes help to make sure the orzo is tender but can keep the orzo from soaking up all of the broth.

The orzo pasta will continue to soak up the broth the longer it sits in the broth. I find it’s simplest with this easy recipe to just to add some water when reheating. The soup will still have plenty of flavor.

Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Tender chicken, vegetables and orzo pasta in a herbed lemon broth, this easy soup is so delicious you’ll want a second bowl!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven or soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion and diced carrots in the pan and sauté. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the carrots and onions have softened.

• Turn the stove down to medium heat. Place the butter in the pot with the carrots and onions. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.

• Place the flour to the pot and stir quickly for about a minute. Pour 64 ounces of low sodium chicken broth and one cup of water to the pot. Add the oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot.

• Turn up the heat to high then add the chicken breast. Bring the entire pot to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and cover the pot. Allow the chicken to simmer in the pot for 10- 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. This time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken.

• Remove the chicken from the pot and dice into bite sized pieces then set aside.

• Add one cup of dried orzo pasta to the pot and turn the heat back up to medium- high. Cook the orzo pasta in the soup for ten minutes or until tender and al dente. Stir occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

• Add the chicken back to the soup. Add the juice from half of a lemon into the soup. Taste and add the second half of the lemon if you prefer. Place the diced spinach into the pot and stir until wilted, about one minute. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

If you prefer a stronger lemon flavor, add between ¼ and a half a teaspoon of lemon zest to the soup when you add the lemon juice.
This soup will thicken more over time, and thickens a lot more in the refrigerator overnight. When you reheat the leftovers you will need to add a little water to each bowl.
You can use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken in this recipe. If the chicken you are using is already cooked you’ll only need to simmer it in the broth for about five minutes instead of 10-15 before moving to the next step.

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 621mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4626IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg

Did You Make This?

I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!