Do you know those thick, hearty soups that get you through a winter storm or a traditional chicken noodle soup for those sick days? Well, this is not one of those soups. This soup has a lighter, lemony broth with chicken, vegetables, and orzo pasta. This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is NOT avgolemono soup as it has no egg yolks! You can eat it all year long, no matter the season, consider it a summer comfort food. The bright lemony flavors have me imagining a light lunch on a sunny balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. In my mind anyway. You don't need to book a trip to Tuscany because this Recipe for Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup for Two can be on the table in 30 minutes. My easy recipe serves two or you can double it for next-day leftovers. The fresh lemon juice combined with the tender orzo pasta will make this one of your favorite Panera-bread-inspired soups!
INGREDIENTS FOR GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP
For the full recipe with quantities, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Chicken broth - (or chicken stock, but your soup will be a little more chicken flavor forward which might overpower the lemon. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed)
- Orzo pasta
- Cooked chicken - (suggestions)
- Shredded rotisserie chicken
- Baked boneless chicken thighs
- Baked boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Leftover cooked chicken
- Canned chicken
- Chicken base - I like the Better Than Bouillon brand Low-Sodium Roasted Chicken base.
- Baby spinach - fresh is best!
- Fresh thyme - (if using dried thyme use ¼ -½ teaspoon depending on taste. Dried thyme is stronger than fresh thyme.)
- Parmesan cheese - grated
INSTRUCTIONS: RECIPE for GREEK LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP for TWO
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the carrots, celery, and onion.
Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook for an additional minute.
Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add four cups of broth.
Bring to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the orzo pasta, the chicken base, and the lemon juice to the pot.
Cook for 10-12 minutes until the orzo is al dente.
Add the diced or shredded chicken. Reduce the heat to low.
Add the fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional couple of minutes.
Add the baby spinach to the pot and stir until the spinach is wilted.
Taste the soup, then season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
Remove from heat. Ladle into bowls.
Garnish with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese, and serve with garlic bread.
Video:
RECIPE FAQ'S
One serving of Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup has approximately 21 grams of protein, 135% of the daily values of Vitamin A, as well as decent amounts of potassium, vitamin B, Calcium, and Iron. It contains 994mg of sodium if made using low-sodium chicken broth and chicken base. For those on special diets, always follow the recommendations of your doctor or your dietitian.
(Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.)
Yes! If you have a long time to cook the soup, you could prepare it in a slow cooker to bring out the lemon and garlic flavors even more. I recommend adding all the ingredients except the spinach and lemon zest to the slow cooker and setting it for low cook for 4 hours.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe freezes well, but as with any soup containing pasta, it will absorb the liquid from the soup and become mushy. If you are making this with freezing in mind, I would cook the orzo separately, adding it to the soup when eaten. I like to use little snack-size zip-lock bags to freeze the pasta. Just tape them to the top of the container and add them when serving this delicious soup.
Safe storage if not freezing:
I would recommend keeping Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Panera Style in an airtight container in the refrigerator for just one day at the most, as the chicken is already cooked. That is another reason that my scaled-down delicious recipe for two servings is so great! This soup only takes 30 minutes to make, so save your freezer space for ice cream! You're welcome.
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tbs Olive oil
- 1 medium Carrot
- 1 stalk Celery
- 1 small Onion or onion powder
- 2 cloves Garlic or garlic powder
- 1 Bay leaf or 2 small bay leaves
- 3 cups Chicken broth - low sodium or chicken stock
- ⅓ cup Orzo pasta uncooked
- 1 Juice of a lemon fresh squeezed
- 1 cup Chicken white or dark meat, diced or shredded
- ½ teaspoon Chicken base
- 1 Zest of a lemon
- 1 cup Baby spinach fresh
- 1 sprig Fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper freshly ground
For the garnish:
- 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese grated
- 4 Lemon slices
- Crusty bread on the side
Instructions
- Place a large soup pot over medium heat, and add a tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of the pot. Add the diced carrot, celery, and onion.
- Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook for an additional minute. You do not want the vegetables to caramelize, you are just looking to soften them.
- Over medium-high heat add four cups of broth (or stock) to the pot with the vegetables. Bring to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the orzo pasta, the chicken base, and the lemon juice to the pot. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the diced or shredded chicken. Reduce the heat to low. Add the fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional two minutes.
- Add the baby spinach to the pot and stir until the spinach is wilted. Taste the soup then season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve the fresh soup immediately in bowls, garnished with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese, with a slice of crusty French bread on the side.
Fina Zarzar says
How much dried thyme can I use instead of fresh? Also can I omit the lemon zest. Do not like lemon zest.
Mary says
One sprig of fresh thyme is equal to about 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. I would recommend you just omit the lemon zest if you don't like it. You can also just add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is you find it lacks lemon flavor. Thanks!
Fina Zarzar says
Is chicken base you use like better than bouillon?
Mary says
Yes. I highly recommend the low sodium version.
Nicole says
I made a double batch of this soup so that I could feed the entire family. I also used gluten-free elbow macaroni in place of the orzo. It was delicious and everyone enjoyed it.
Mary says
Glad that worked out for you. It is a very forgiving recipe. Thanks!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
I love orzo and I love lemon so this is the soup for me!! It's so bright and flavorful!
Cpg says
Delicious and hearty soup. Highly recommend 5 stars
Stephanie says
This lemon chicken orzo soup is light and refreshing - the perfect summer soup for our patio dinners this summer. As always, thank you for including detailed instructions - the soup was delish!
Andréa Janssen says
I love a great bowl of lemon chicken soup, mostly make it with rice. But it was really delicious with orzo. I'm certainly going to prepare it more often. Thank you!
tiannaskitchen says
this sounds delicious, i was just introduced into orzo pasta this summer and hadn't thought of putting it in chicken soup.