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This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is light, healthy, and cozy. It uses wholesome everyday ingredients and is sure to become a family favorite!
Love lemon chicken? Try my Easy Creamy Lemon Chicken or this Lemon Chicken Orzo (One Pot Pasta).
Why you’ll love it
I’ve made a lot of soups on here, but this lemon chicken soup with orzo is hands down the most beloved by my readers. It’s just so comforting without being heavy, and people adore the bright lemony broth. This orzo soup is simple to make, so it’s a low-effort cozy soup.
If you’re not familiar with it, orzo is that tiny rice-shaped pasta. It looks like rice but cooks really fast, so you get that rice effect in less time. I cook with it fairly often, and I always enjoy it. This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is like chicken noodle soup but elevated!
What you’ll need
- Celery, carrots, and onion – the aromatic base for any good soup. I prefer sweet (Vidalia) onion, but yellow works as well.
- Butter and olive oil – for sautéing
- Garlic – for more savory flavor
- Flour – it thickens the broth a little
- Chicken broth – for deeper, richer flavor
- Italian seasoning – it’s my favorite dried herb blend that comes all in a single jar for convenience
- Chicken – the boneless skinless chicken breasts cook right in the soup
- Orzo – you’ll be able to find it in the dry pasta aisle
- Lemon juice – for that burst of brightness
- Parsley – it adds a pop of flavor and freshness
Pro tip
You can increase the amount of lemon juice to suit your tastes and serve with lemon slices right in the bowls as well for even more lemon flavor.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I like to use this garlic press to mince it since you don’t need to peel the cloves first, and this airtight pantry container is great for keeping flour fresh.
- Here is the Dutch oven I use for my soups.
- If you really want a more intense pop of lemon in here, I suggest grating in some lemon zest. I love my Microplane zester/grater for that purpose!
How to make lemon chicken orzo soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery with the olive oil and butter until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, followed by the flour. Pour in the chicken broth, and stir until the flour has totally dissolved.
Add in the Italian seasoning and the uncooked chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and then simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in the orzo, and simmer until it’s al dente, stirring fairly often.
Once the chicken reaches a temperature of 165F, take it out and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Add it back in along with the lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley, and salt & pepper. That’s it!
Can I make it ahead?
- Yes, but you may not want to use the one pot method in that case since the orzo will soak up the broth over time. If you plan on having a lot left over or are making it well ahead of time, I recommend cooking the orzo separately and adding it into each bowl when warming it up.
Substitutions and variations
- You can substitute the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer.
- If you want to make this with already cooked/rotisserie chicken, I suggest adding the chicken in at the same time as the orzo so you don’t overcook it.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if you have concerns with salt.
- Want to make this soup in your slow cooker instead? Try my Crockpot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup.
What to serve with this soup
- I like to keep it simple with a big slice of bread. I’d recommend a baguette or sourdough to round out the meal.
- If you love the soup and salad combo, try my Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad or mixed greens with my Homemade Italian Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- It’ll keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. You may need to add more chicken broth to leftovers as the pasta will absorb it.
- This soup can be frozen, but the orzo does get a bit puffy. If you want to freeze the whole batch, I recommend adding cooked orzo in after you thaw it.
- Reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat until warmed through, stirring every so often.
More delicious chicken soup recipes
Questions about this soup? Leave me a comment below, and tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you’ve made it!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1.5 pounds uncooked chicken breasts
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the celery, carrots, and onions in a large soup pot with the butter and oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the flour and cook for another minute or so.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved, then add the Italian seasoning and chicken. Bring the soup to a boil.
- Cover the soup (lid slightly open), and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the orzo and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through. I keep the lid off and stir it fairly often because it tends to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up, then add it back in. Add the lemon juice (you may want to add more than I suggest – I didn't want to make the soup too lemony for some people), parsley, and season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can sub the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Chicken is safe to eat at 165F and can go from undercooked to overcooked quickly, so I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer whenever cooking chicken so you’re not guessing.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if you’re sensitive to salt.
- You may need to add more chicken broth to leftovers as the orzo soaks it up.
- This recipe is also in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This looks delicious! I am new to cooking so I am wondering if it is safe to put the raw chicken in the broth ? Or do you cook the chicken beforehand?
Thanks!
Hi Laura! Yes, it is perfectly safe. 🙂 Double cooking chicken just makes it dry and unappealing. In the recipe if you follow the suggested temperatures and timing, it would be very difficult to end up with undercooked chicken, but it’s of course always important to be safe with chicken, so I am glad you asked! Many people overcook chicken because they are worried, but it doesn’t have to be like that. I recommend purchasing an instant read meat thermometer (you can get them for under $20) whether you’re a new or experienced cook, since that’s really the only way to know for sure whether you’ve got chicken in the sweet spot (just cooked vs. waaaaay overcooked). Test the chicken before you cut it up in step 6 (it literally takes about 2 seconds to do this). If it’s 165F when you’re about to cut it up, it’s done. If it’s not quite done but close, cut it up and add it to the soup and then cook it for a few more minutes. Easy peasy! The meat thermometer will give you more confidence as you try various recipes out. Also, I recommend reading through some of the many comments on this post from readers who have successfully made it… it may also put your mind at ease. Let me know if you try the soup!
I made this soup last week, it was so simple yet delicious! Nourishing, light and full of flavor! Today I had to come back and write the recipe down in my book! Don’t want to misplace this one!
I added another 4 cups of broth to the leftovers. The lemon zest is a must!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it! Appreciate your review. 🙂 XO
This was an excellent recipe. I did add more lemon bc I LOVE lemon, and I also added more parsley, and a titch of powdered chicken bouillon just for extra chicken flavor. SOO good !!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, Katie! 😀
I’ve made this several times and I must say it’s delicious! It’s now one of my top favorite soups!
I’m so pleased to hear it!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
This is the third time I’ve made this soup and even froze and thawed, both with success and wonderful flavor.
This time I halved the recipe..just enough for me! Perfection!
That’s so great to hear! 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!!
I have made this at least 20 times!! Always perfect!
Thank you for all your delicious recipes.
Wonderful!! 🙂 You’re very welcome!
Amazing, made it over here in Australia during our winter!
Did you make your own broth? can you used chicken stock?
Going to try it next time by whipping in egg at the end like my normal chicken soup.
Hi Clare! I’m glad you enjoyed it!! No, I usually just buy store-bought chicken broth (or stock). It’s not as tasty, but less work haha.
Just made this. Delicious recipe! Will definitely be one I use all the time. Have you froze this before?
I’m so pleased you liked it!! I haven’t frozen it. If you’ve got leftovers, I think that you’ll be ok freezing them, but like I recommend in the blog post, I’d add a little more broth when reheating since it tends to soak it up (just the nature of pasta or rice based soups). If you’re planning on freezing a whole batch, I’d freeze the broth separately and add orzo as needed when you’re serving.
Love this easy recipe! I use rotisserie chicken and a lot more lemon and zest! I have made this many times and it is always a winner!!
Barb
That’s great to hear, Barb! 🙂
This soup is so yummy my family loves it. I use a rotisserie chicken when making it and put in a lot more lemon juice in it,
Very good! Quick and so easy
Thanks will share it!
That’s great! Thank you. And I appreciate you sharing it 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. The whole family ate every last drop.
Yay!! So glad to hear it, Michelle! 🙂