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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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I have made this recipe multiple times this past year and each time it has been a hit 🙂 I personally love to stop with some shaved parmesan as it pairs so well with this soup. Super excited that it’s getting colder so I have an excuse to make this soup even more. Thank you for a wonderful recipe
Yay!! I’m thrilled to hear that, Sam. Appreciate you taking the time to write me a review! 😀 I love the parm idea too.
I’m in the process of making this soup as I type! I did it a bit differently as I prefer chunks of chicken rather than shredded. I added the cubed chicken with some oil and seasoning in the soup pot, just long enough to get some color on it. I removed the chicken and left all the tasty bits and followed your recipe the rest of the way. I did add frozen corn at the same time as the chicken broth. It will be done in about 10 minutes and it smells delicious!!
Enjoy! Just a tip for next time – you can still cook the whole chicken breasts if you like and then just cut it up instead of shredding it.
We are not soup people.But with everyone sick at home, I decided to give this recipe a try.
WHOA! Everyone. Loved. It.
Made it exactly as written. Turned out great!
That’s awesome!!! Hope you guys feel better soon!
Best chicken noodle soup ever. It was a huge hit with your family and will definitely be a go to on a cold fall/winter night.
I seared the chicken first and cut the simmer time for that. And used about 2 tbsp of lemon juice. But otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Excellent! Thanks for your review, Tera!
Really good. The flour was a good idea, thickened it ever so lightly
Glad you enjoyed it, Eva! 😀
I made this today and was very impressed.
The only thing to boost the flavor (since the salt/pepper level is up to the cook) I used all purpose seasoning by Killer Hogs Barbeque and it was spot on. It would also help to season in the beginning when building the broth/liquid base so that it gets into the chicken, rather than at the end.
Sounds good to me!
This was amazing! Made 1/2 the recipe and it was perfect!
I’m so happy to hear it, Terri!! Thanks for your 5-star review! 😀
Absolutely delicious. I didn’t have lemon or lemon juice (🫣) but used 3 True Lemon packets (not the lemonade, the crystallized lemon) and it made for a nice lemon essence. Whole family ate it and we have five littles, 7 and under!
That’s great! Glad you all liked it! 🙂
This is so delicious! I shared it with friends!
So happy to hear that, Carol! Thanks! 😀
I’ve had this soup before when someone else has made it for a luncheon at work and absolutely LOVE it, its so delicious. But I just made it at home for the first time myself and it really lacked flavor 😥 The only thing I tweaked was using garlic powder instead of cloves cause I thought I had some but didn’t. I don’t know what I did wrong…any advice?
Hi Samantha! I would say maybe you need to salt it more. That’s the usual culprit when foods seem to be lacking flavor. Especially when it’s a simple soup like this without any spicy/strong ingredients and that contains pasta (which in itself needs a lot of salt). And yes, using actual garlic cloves should help too, so I would for sure try that next time you have some on hand. You can also feel free to double the seasonings and/or add more lemon juice. Some readers even add a whole lemon to this soup. 🙂