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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.
I love this soup so much and have been waiting for it to cool down a little in AZ so I could make it. Well it finally happened….yay….and I’m making it today! This is a favorite soup in our family!
This is absolutely delicious and easy to make.
Excellent. Great flavor, easy recipe.
Gracias por las deliciosas recetas.
Really surprisingly delicious. We added the lemon zest. I may go with half and half next time. Even my picky teenage daughter liked it. Will be added to our spring rotation of dishes.
My husband repeatedly said this was one of the best soups he has ever had. It was truly delicious. I will be making this recipe again.
This was absolutely amazing! I honestly didn’t have high expectations as I am not big on soups and have had some issues with recipes from other sites being way too acidic in the past. But I am so happy I made this, this was incredible! It’s like a fancy, grown-up version of chicken noodle soup. Definitely recommend!
I saw this recipe on Katie Couric’s site and decided to try it…..fabulous! The favorite soup in our house right now! TU for a great soup recipe!
I made the soup last night. It was delicious. I will definitely put this in my soup rotation. I used Half & Half instead of heavy cream. Could you make a slurry of flour and water to thicken? Thank you!!
I just made this. So delicious. I used jar marinara sauce and oven ready noodles. Otherwise I followed the recipe.