Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is light, cozy, and full of fresh comforting flavor in every yummy spoonful. With tender chicken, soft orzo, and a bright pop of lemon, it’s a simple soup that feels both nourishing and delicious at the same time. It’s the kind of easy meal that tastes fresh, comforting, and perfect for any day you need something warm and gentle.

I’m one of those people where it doesn’t really matter what the weather is like outside, I can eat soup at anytime. In my healing journey, I just find that lots of times I’m not really hungry, and the only thing that really sounds good to me is soup. I think it’s something about the amount of stress my body has gone through, and just how gentle soup is on the stomach.

But I made this soup again the other day, because I was starting to just feel off. I was getting a little stuffy, my throat had started to hurt, and I could feel a cold coming on. I really find that soup always helps me feel so much better.

And let me tell you:

This. Soup. Was. Perfect.

I hope you try it and enjoy it!

Make this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup when…

• you aren’t feeling the greatest
• when you want something gentle on your stomach
• you just want an easy and delicious soup that everyone will love

Ingredient notes…

Here is what you’ll need to make this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe. Please be sure to check the recipe card for the exact ingredients and measurements.

• Chicken Thighs: I find chicken thighs to be more flavorful and juicier than chicken breasts, so I tend to use them in all my chicken recipes, however you can also use rotisserie chicken for convenience, chicken breasts, or any other meat you prefer. (You just may have to adjust cooking time if not already cooked). I’ve tested it with rotisserie chicken many times before.
• Butter: Helps to soften the veggies, deglaze the pot, and gives a rich flavor to the base. Can always use a cooking oil instead like olive oil, coconut oil etc.
• Flour: Helps to thicken the soup slightly. Can omit if you wish.
• Carrots: Add to the flavor of the base, and gives the soup more texture.
• Onions: Help to season the soup. Omit if you don’t like onions.
• Garlic: Adds flavor to the soup. Can omit if you wish.
• Italian Seasoning: Adds the right amount of seasoning to the broth. Omit if you don’t like.
• Paprika: Gives the soup an extra depth of flavor. Omit if you don’t like.
• Chicken Broth: Builds the base of the soup. Can substitute a different type of broth or stock if you prefer.
• Orzo: A hearty pasta that adds substance to your soup. I honestly am a huge orzo fan, it’s delicious. But you could always use a different pasta if you wish, or even something like rice, just be aware you may need to adjust the cooking time.
• Lemon or lemon juice: Just adds a little something something to the soup at the end. Trust me. But you can always omit if needed.
• Salt and Pepper: Add these seasonings to your liking.

Equipment I swear by…

• A heavy bottomed pot or Dutch Oven
• A veggie chopper to make things easier

While the Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup simmers…

• water your plants (or yourself)
• file or trim your nails
• sit down and put your feet up for a few minutes

How to make it…

See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

1. In a soup pot or Dutch Oven, melt the butter then sauté the onions and carrots until softened, add the garlic for the last minute of cooking time.
2. Add the flour, and stir for a few minutes until completely combined. Add the seasonings, then the chicken broth.
3. Add your chicken and let simmer for about 15 minutes . Remove chicken and cut into bite size pieces (chicken doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through yet) and return chicken to the pot.
4. Add your orzo. Cook until orzo is al dente (about 10 minutes or so). Stir every so often so that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
5. Once orzo is al dente, and the chicken is cooked through, add your lemon juice, and any salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

My tips and tricks to make this Lemon Chicken Soup recipe…

Creamy/Cheesy: If you wanted to, you could add some heavy cream, cream cheese, or shredded cheese at the end to make it into a more creamy soup, or to make it cheesy. Personally I share enough recipes with cream and/or cheese so I like that this one doesn’t have it.

Less sodium: If you are trying to reduce your salt intake you can always use a low sodium broth, and omit the salt.

Super lemony: I didn’t add a whole lot of lemon to this recipe, as I understand not everyone loves lemon. With the amount I added you could barely taste it, so if you love lemon and want it stronger I would suggest adding as much lemon as you want, just taste as you add it until you have it how you want.

More veggies: This is a great recipe to add more veggies to. I would normally add celery, but I didn’t have any on hand. It would also be great with the addition of peas or spinach too.

Storage notes:

Refrigerate: This soup tastes even better the next day, however orzo loves to soak up any liquid it can, so you may need to add more chicken broth. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.

Freeze: This dish freezes very well, but the orzo can get a little soft when you reheat it. If that is something that may bother you, I would advise making the recipe without the orzo, and then cooking it separately and adding it fresh when you are reheating it from frozen.

Are you struggling right now?

• Use prechopped veggies or a veggie chopper to save time and make things easier.
• Use jarred garlic, or even garlic and onion powder instead if you dread prepping those things and don’t have prechopped/minced (will need to adjust measurements).
• Use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken with the soup to save time. I would add the cooked chicken at the end with the lem0n so it doesn’t overcook

Thank your for stopping by Comfort In a Bowl. If you have any questions, or made any additions that you think other people may love feel free to comment below. If you create this recipe or any other from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to share, comment and rate the recipe! Take care of yourself.

What to serve with Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup…

• The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Garlic Bread
• Salad
• Ham and Pineapple Grilled Cheese Sandwich

My burnout situation…

I am a huge animal lover, if you couldn’t tell by any of my previous posts/updates.

My dogs mean the absolute world to me. They are the one thing I always begged for, but never got in my childhood.

Every Christmas List, every Birthday wish list, every diary entry, all I asked for was a dog. I wrote stories about girls getting dogs. I wrote essays on why I would be such a good dog owner and all the things I would do to take care of it. I drew pictures with me and the dog I would have.

And so my parents realized how serious I was and got us a Samoyed puppy one day out of the blue. I was so excited…. however, I don’t think my parents did their research and realized how much work that specific breed is and how big they are and get, because it was still very young and already began knocking me and my sister over, being fairly rough with us.

So one day I came home from school and they had rehomed it because they didn’t think it would be a good fit.

To say I was devastated would be an understatement. Don’t worry I’m working on it in therapy lol.

So yes, one of my first adult decisions I made for myself was getting a dog. Because of my living situation at the time (in an apartment going to school) I had to get a small dog, but it was fine. I saw her and fell in love with her immediately.

And then I felt bad that she was alone though the day while my husband and I were at work, so we went and rescued my dog her own dog.

And then when we got a big house with a big back yard we rescued another dog. A big gentle boy this time. (He unfortunately passed away a few months ago).

All of this to say, I am so extremely thankful for them. The connection I have with them is everything. They are so comforting, and I find they have really been helping on my healing journey.

So if you are on a healing journey, maybe try rescuing an animal if you have the capacity to care for one.

Conclusion…

I don’t have anything super profound to say in the conclusion of this one.

I just wanted to say that dogs are the best, and so is soup!

Take care of yourself.

-Caitlin