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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup | Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen | this heavenly recipe is #chicken #soup for the soul! It's a wonderful dinner entree now that fall is officially here! #lemon #orzo #pasta

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Teresa Ambra
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is fantastic! This delicious Greek soup is made with lemon, rotisserie chicken, veggies, and orzo cooked in chicken broth and wonderfully seasoned. It's marvelous for weeknight suppers, especially on cold, blustery days. Healthy and low calorie.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish, Soups, Stews & Chowders
Cuisine Greek
Servings 10
Calories 210 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 large Dutch Oven or stock pot
  • 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • 1 vegetable peeler

Ingredients
  

  • 10 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/3 cups carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/3 cups onions chopped finely
  • 1 1/3 cups celery chopped (I added 1 cup of celery leaves)
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic from a jar or 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 2 1/2 tsp. lemon rind grated (I used the grated rind of one whole lemon)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 whole rotisserie-cooked chicken shredded, (about 4 cups)
  • 8 oz. orzo pasta uncooked (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper coarsely cracked
  • 1/4 cup Romano cheese grated
  • additional water or broth as needed

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
  • Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, lemon rind, salt and pepper.
  • Sauté veggies and seasonings over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften.
  • This will take about 5 minutes.
  • Add the chicken stock and lemon juice.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and add the chicken and orzo.
  • Simmer until orzo is cooked through approximately 9 minutes.
  • Just before serving stir in the parsley and remove the bay leaves.
  • Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and garnish with Romano cheese, if desired.

Notes

NOTE: Orzo really absorbs the liquid in this soup so it will thicken the longer the soup sits out. You may have to add additional broth or water to thin the soup.
 
 
NOTE: While the recipe calls for Romano cheese as a garnish, I thought the soup tasted better without it.
 
 
NOTE: Add at least 30 minutes preparation time if you need to debone a chicken.
 
Recipe source: adapted from Food.com.
 
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 10gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 782mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3068IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chicken, lemon, orzo, pasta, soup
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