We love soup season and probably make it at least once a week when the weather is chilly. If you’re looking for some more amazing soup recipes, be sure to try out our Easy Minestrone Soup, Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage, or maybe our Cheeseburger Soup with Bacon. Whether the temperature is cooling down, someone you love is feeling under the weather, or you are just craving a cozy bowl of soup, this lemon chicken orzo soup is the answer! This soup has a bold, refreshing flavor profile and is basically pure comfort in a bowl. It’s a twist on classic chicken noodle soup but even better. The chicken is tender and juicy and paired with the lemon broth makes it the perfect refreshing yet cozy bowl of soup for any occasion. It’s a wholesome, healthy dinner that also warms up great for fantastic leftovers the next day. You can serve the soup as is or over a pile of chopped spinach that will wilt quickly from the heat of the soup! Quick, easy, hearty, and sure to be a hit for the whole family.
Why We Love this Recipe
You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store to save time for a quick weeknight meal.The lemony broth tastes extra nourishing and savory.Orzo pasta has a kid-friendly, almost rice-like shape that cooks quickly in the hot broth.Soups are a great way to get in extra veggies and this one is loaded! The mushrooms and zucchini are great ways to add in those extra veggies without really noticing the texture!
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts: cooked and shredded. A rotisserie chicken is also a great option if you’re in a pinch for time.Serrano pepper: to give this soup a wonderful kick. If you don’t like spice, just adjust the amount of pepper you put in or omit all together.Veggies: Shredding carrots and zucchini to add to the soup along with onions and mushrooms creates a wonderful depth of flavor in the broth.Lemon: Be sure to zest your lemon before squeezing it. It’s very hard (almost impossible) to zest a lemon after it has been juiced.Orzo pasta: The size of the orzo pasta makes for a perfect bite every time. This could be replaced with white or brown rice or even some beans to bulk up the soup if you don’t have orzo pasta on hand.
How to Make this Recipe
Recipe Tips
Get the most out of your lemon! Adding the full lemon into the soup for the first simmer is a great way to infuse the max amount of lemon flavor. You should remove it after the first simmer though, because if you leave it in for too long you risk the lemon flavor becoming bitter from the white part of the lemon skin/rind.Don’t underestimate the orzo! Orzo is a noodle that really grows while cooking, ½ cup may not seem like enough, but it is! The longer the soup sits, the bigger the noodles will get, soaking up a lot of the broth!Don’t like spice? It’s okay to omit the serrano pepper or sub for hot sauce (to taste) if you don’t have it on hand or are extremely spice averse. This soup is not actually spicy (my kids didn’t even notice), but the pepper adds a really nice subtle warmth and makes it an excellent cold buster!Optional but recommended: Place a handful of fresh chopped spinach into the bottom of your soup bowl, ladle the hot soup over the top and mix together. The spinach pairs beautifully with the lemon in the soup and gives you a nice fresh flavor that compliments the richness of the soup! My kids prefer the soup without the spinach, but I really enjoy it this way.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
One Pot Lasagna SoupEasy Cheesy Taco SoupChicken Noodle & Dumpling SoupHomemade Tomato Basil SoupCowboy Pinto Bean Soup
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