This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe features a deliciously rich and nutritious broth with chicken and healthy veggies.Ā It makes terrific leftovers so feel free to make a double batch!Ā Whether you want to make it in the slow cooker or on the stovetop, we’ve got you covered!
Imagine the best homemade chicken noodle soup you’ve had and then add a little “zing” of lemon and some fresh dill and there you have it:Ā Pure comfort in a bowl.Ā Packed full of rich flavors and healthy ingredients, this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is destined to become a favorite!
This soup can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.Ā Whichever method you choose just be sure to let the soup cook low and slow because that is what will really bring out the flavor of the chicken and creates a base broth that is simply out of this world. Ā For the ultimate flavor we recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken.Ā Dark meat in particular has a lot more flavor than chicken breast and the bones create an especially flavorful broth.
Let’s get started!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe
NOTE:Ā In the pictures below I’m using my Cuisinart 3-in-1 Cook CentralĀ which enables you to brown and saute the meat and vegetables right in the slow cooker instead of doing that in a separate skillet and then transferring it to a slow cooker.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic, leek and carrots and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Add the broth and seasonings except for the dill.
Add the chicken.
For the Slow Cooker:Ā Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-7 hours.
Remove the chicken, discard the skin and bones, and cut the chicken into small pieces. Ā Return it to the slow cooker along with the orzo and dill. Ā (If you don’t like dill you can use fresh parsley instead or half the amount of fresh rosemary).
Cover and cook on HIGH for another 30 minutes or until the orzo is tender.Ā Stir in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.
For the Stovetop:Ā Follow the same directions of sauteing the veggies in butter but do so in a soup pot.Ā Add the remaining ingredients except for the orzo, dill, and lemon juice.Ā Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 90 minutes.
Remove the chicken pieces, discard the skin and bones and chop the meat into small pieces. Return the chicken to the pot along with the orzo and dill. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes or until the orzo is tender. Stir in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.
Dinner is served!
Enjoy!
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For more delicious soups and stews be sure to try our:
- Minestrone Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Beef Barley Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Wonton Soup
- New England Clam Chowder
- Curried Lentil Soup
- White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Pozole Rojo
- Cream of Celery Soup
- German Potato Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Harira
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion , finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 carrots , diced
- 1 large leek , sliced, thoroughly rinsed in colander, and drained
- 6 cups quality chicken broth
- 1 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (dark meat/drumsticks and thighs recommended for the best flavor)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup uncooked orzo (or pasta of choice, or rice)
- or gluten free orzo
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the leek, carrots and garlic and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- For Slow Cooker: Transfer the cooked veggies to a slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredient except for the orzo, dill, and lemon juice. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Remove the chicken pieces, discard the skin and bones and chop the meat into small pieces. Return the chicken to the slow cooker along with the orzo and dill and cook on HIGH for another 30 minutes or until the orzo is tender. Stir in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.For the Stovetop: Follow the instructions in Step 1. Add the remaining ingredients except for the orzo, dill, and lemon juice. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 90 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces, discard the skin and bones and chop the meat into small pieces. Return the chicken to the pot along with the orzo and dill. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes or until the orzo is tender. Stir in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
First published on The Daring Gourmet February 28, 2015
Etta says
I’ve made this soup so many times and everyone thinks it’s delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Etta, I’m so happy to hear that! :)
Erin says
Just made this soup this morning. It is delicious!! As long as it holds up well in the freezer this will because a monthly staple for my husband’s lunch!
Kyle says
I tried this soup, it was absolutely delicious. My brother said it was the best thing I had made to be honest. I feel like I maybe needed to add a little more lemon though because I didn’t get quite as much lemon flavor as I expected.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Kyle, thanks so much for the feedback! The lemon is meant to be subtle but yes, you can absolutely add however much you want. So glad you and your brother enjoyed this soup, we love it, too!
Anonymous says
Great soup! I used rice instead of orzo since that what I had on hand and it worked well. Thank you!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, rice works very well. So glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Katherine Baker says
This was simple to make but amazing flavour. It has kept us going over the weekend!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Katherine, we really love it too and the flavor gets even better the next day!
Maria Fatima Pais says
I made this amazing soup for dinner and am enjoying it right now as I write this. A perfect dinner and filling too for a greedy one like me :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
It’s a hard one to have to share, Maria :) And the flavor is even better the next day for leftovers. So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback!
SusanM says
FIVE STARS!!! I had to do the stovetop version with two chicken breasts that needed to be cooked. My son that doesn’t like soup proclaimed it DELICIOUS! I can’t wait to take some to my mom tomorrow, she will enjoy this. Will be making it weekly through the winter!! (Kimberly, I couldn’t select any stars on my iPhone 5s, ios9, in Safari–but definitely 5 stars!)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Susan, I’m so happy to hear it was such a hit, yay!!! And I really appreciate your attempt to leave 5 stars, there appears to be some glitch with mobile and I’ll have my web developer look into it. Thank you!
SusanM says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s 14 degrees outside and this will warm us up!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
This is the perfect warming soup, Susan, and you’ve got me in the mood now, too – I’m going to make a batch tomorrow myself! :)
Tiffany says
Question, I don’t have the 3 in one crockpot but was thinking of browning my chicken prior to putting it in the crockpot to get the flavor with the onions and carrots would you still let it cook as long as recommended? I don’t want it to get that dry factor and still learning the ends and out of my crockpot thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tiffany! I don’t brown the chicken in this recipe, I just saute the onions and carrots, but yes you can definitely brown the chicken first and then add it to the crockpot. If you’re using bone-in skin-on chicken that will increase the flavor but if you’re using boneless/skinless chicken breasts, browning it first won’t contribute much. If you brown the bone-in/skin-on chicken first and then add it to the crockpot you don’t have to worry about the chicken drying out, it won’t. Happy cooking!
Sandi says
The was a total hit with my family. Everyone went back for seconds. I was wondering what the effect of squeezing in a lemon would be. I can’t say that I tasted an overly lemony taste, but it was just so light and delicious. Next time I’m going to add orzo as I go…if that makes sense. Even though I didn’t feel like I cooked it too long, it was really, really soft. So next time I make this I’ll keep the orzo separate. I just prefer a bit more body to the pasta. My family thought it was great that way it was. :-)
Thank you for the great recipes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sandy, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you! No, the lemon is supposed to be very subtle and it adds a nice “fresh” touch to the soup. I prefer my pasta al dente as well, so you can simply decrease the cooking time and do a taste test to determine when it’s done to your preference.
Netty says
I made this soup this week. It was delicious. Just thinking about it makes me hungry for it right know.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Netty! I made it twice in the same week – that’s how much we enjoyed it, too :)
Judy Carl says
This is a very similar recipe to the soup they made at Daphne’s, one of my favorite restaurants here in Gilbert. I almost cried when they closed so am excited to try it. You don’t happen to have a recipe for chicken kabobs to go with it, do you?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Judy! Oh, I know the feeling, it’s always sad when a favorite place closes down. The only chicken kabob recipes I have at the moment are Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Kabobs, Spiced Chicken Kabobs with Yogurt Tahini Sauce, and Bacon Pineapple Chicken Kabobs with Hawaiian Sauce. They’re all excellent but probably very different than the ones you’re looking for from Daphne’s.
Jessica Danby says
I made this today and it was sooooo good!!! I doubled the batch as we had a couple of friends over and everyone just loved it. This recipe’s a definite keeper, thank you!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit, Jessica, thanks so much for the feedback!
Cori L. says
This looks wonderful! And you’ve convinced me that I need to own that slow cooker. Now I just need to convince my husband ;)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Haha! I’m sure you’ll find a way, Cori! ;) I’ve really been enjoying this new multi cooker, I think you’ll really like it!
Kate says
Oooh, this looks unbelievably delicious, so can’t wait to try it!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Kate, we all loved it! I actually made it twice this week :) Happy cooking!