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This is the best Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe! This Chicken Orzo Soup is made with tender chicken with onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a fresh lemon cream broth with fresh parmesan cheese. You will love this lemon chicken soup recipe!
I am full-on obsessed with this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe. The first time I tried it, my jaw dropped. It was creamy with bright lemon notes, tender chicken, orzo pasta, and the perfect amount of saltiness from the parmesan cheese. Then my husband tried it and this is now his favorite chicken soup recipe.
Why do I love this Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe?
- This Lemon Orzo Soup is comfort food in a bowl and is a fun twist on traditional chicken soup.
- This Lemon Chicken Soup has it all — freshness, creaminess, heartiness, and is so full of flavor.
- It is easy to make...especially if you use shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Everyone loves this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Ingredients:
- Chicken — I suggest using rotisserie chicken because it is super tender, flavorful and a huge time saver. You can also use poached chicken in this recipe — just make sure to season it well with salt and pepper!
- Orzo Pasta — is a thin, oval, rice-shaped pasta. It is a popular small pasta in Italy.
- Butter — use salted butter to saute the vegetables in the orzo soup.
- Onion — use a sweet onion or red onion in this chicken orzo soup.
- Fresh Lemon Juice — for the most vibrant, fresh flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice from fresh lemons. For extra lemon flavor, add some lemon zest.
- Chicken Broth — this is what gives the soup depth of flavor. The orzo will soak up the chicken broth so be prepared to add more chicken broth for a thinner soup.
- Heavy cream — this adds rich, creaminess to the soup. May use half-n-half instead of heavy cream.
- Parmesan Cheese — use freshly grated parmesan cheese for easier melting and better flavor.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Parsley
Storage:
Store this chicken orzo soup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. The orzo pasta will soak up the chicken broth so you may need to add more once it is refrigerated and reheated.
Popular Soup Recipes:
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe
- Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup
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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Salted Butter
- 1 medium Onion (diced)
- 2 Carrots (diced)
- 2 Celery (chopped)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (finely diced)
- 6 to 8 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Orzo Pasta
- 2 to 3 cups Shredded Cooked Chicken Breast (from rotisserie chicken)
- 3 to 4 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Italian Parsley (diced)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Melt butter. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 7-8 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add orzo and stir to coat with vegetables, about 1 minute. Add 6 cups of chicken broth and stir. Cook for 9-13 minutes or until the orzo is cooked and plump.
- Stir in chicken, fresh lemon juice, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Let the soup heat up and thicken. If you want a thinner soup, you may add more chicken broth. The orzo pasta will soak up the chicken broth so you may need to add more in time.
- Taste for seasonings. If you want extra lemon flavor, add fresh lemon zest. Sprinkle with fresh Italian parsley and any extra freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe so much!! I’ve made it a bunch of times and it always comes out great. I was wondering if you think it’d be possible to make it in a crock pot instead of on the stove top?
HI Jamie! We have not tested this recipe in a crockpot however I believe it will work! Let me know if you try it out!
Ive made this many times, its absolutely delicious!! So lemony its perfect! Added to my soup rotation!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe Cynthia! Thanks so much for your comment.
This is the first chicken soup I’ve made that was absolutely delicious, normally I don’t like chicken soup but this is delicious.
So much so I’ve looked for the recipe for a couple of weeks. I finally looked back at food journals, for this time of year, I had to go back to February 2023. That’s good soup is. Now I’m going to print it because searching online is more complicated than looking in recipe file.
Thanks for using this recipe Linda!
This is a go to for me. It’s a wonderful recipe and a great dish.
Trader Joe’s has a spatchcock, lemon rosemary chicken that I cook and use in this recipe.
That sounds so delicious Denise!