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bowls of lemon chicken orzo soup

Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

By Jennifer Segal
This creamy lemon chicken orzo soup recipe comes together in one pot with tender chicken, orzo, and a bright, lemony broth.
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1¾ lb bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and/or thighs, trimmed of excess skin or fat
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
  • 2 celery ribs, cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 qts (8 cups) chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1¼ cups orzo
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
  • 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1½ teaspoons dried)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside (don’t discard the flavorful fat in the pot).
  • Add the butter to the pan and let it melt into the chicken fat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not brown. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden and no dry bits of flour remain, about 1 minute.
  • Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaf and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through—about 15 minutes for breasts and 20 minutes for thighs.
  • Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the skin and bones, then shred the meat into bite-size pieces.
  • Bring the soup back to a gentle boil and add the orzo. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick, until al dente (check the package for timing). Stir in the cream, the lemon juice, and shredded chicken, and simmer a few minutes more until everything is warmed through. Fish out and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon zest and dill, then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if needed.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Notes

Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The soup can be made through Step 3 (before adding the orzo) and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Store the cooked chicken separately and add it just before serving. When ready to serve, bring the soup to a gentle boil, add the orzo, and finish as directed. If you won’t be serving all the soup at once, cook the orzo separately and add it as needed so it doesn’t soak up too much broth.

Nutrition Information

Per serving (6 servings)Calories: 631kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 41gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 870mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9g
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.