Made with tender chicken thighs, fresh dill, and small orzo pasta, this one-pot lemon chicken orzo soup is light, comforting, and full of flavor. Everything cooks in a Dutch oven, building rich chicken broth as it goes, then finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon for brightness. Ready in under an hour and great for leftovers, it’s an easy homemade soup you’ll want to keep in your freezer all year long.
A Cozy, Easy to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe
Create everyone’s favorite soup by sauteing onions and celery in a Dutch oven and then adding chicken thighs and broth. Boil it until the chicken is done to create the most flavorful soup. Add the pasta to the broth to cook then add fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon to finish it off.
You can have a bowl of orzo soup from scratch in less than an hour with plenty of leftovers and only one pot to wash! It’s a comforting chicken and orzo soup both kids and adults will enjoy. Sprinkle some homemade ranch crackers on top, the ranch flavor goes great with the other flavors.
What makes this soup a favorite is the flavor that is built in layers while it cooks. The celery and onions form a base, but by cooking the chicken in broth, you get even more chicken flavor. Then the orzo is cooked in the wonderful chicken broth, so that instead of just plain pasta each orzo is super charged with chicken flavor.
Warm Up Your Winter: Southern Classics!
FREE EMAIL BONUS: Southern staples made simply & cozy
We’re in the middle of winter here in the Carolinas and this year more than most, Spring seems like a long way away. It’s days like these when you need a comfy cozy bowl of lemony soup. While old fashioned chicken noodle soup is a classic and a bowl of chicken soup with heat is delicious, this chicken soup recipe is the one I turn to more often then any other soup recipe.
Orzo works especially well in soup because it absorbs the broth as it cooks, giving every spoonful more flavor than traditional noodles. You can also use star pasta which is so much fun.
Unlike a traditional Greek lemon orzo soup this recipe does not contain eggs.
This is also one of my favorite soups to take to someone who’s not feeling great. It’s nourishing but also comforting with simple flavors.I try to keep some in my freezer for those occasions.
This lemon orzo soup gets better and better when it sits, so I love to make this a day ahead and let the flavors soak in overnight.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken – I use boneless thighs which have more flavor, but breasts can be used if you prefer. Use a meat thermometer to determine when they have cooked through, 175º for dark. This soup won’t work with rotisserie chicken, you need to cook the chicken with the veggies and broth to get the flavor.
- Orzo pasta – this is a rice shaped pasta that you’ll find along with other pastas in your grocery aisle. You can use any small pasta, like stars, but it should be small.
- Fresh Dill – this adds so much flavor, but it can be hard to find in the winter. You can leave it out and still have a great chicken soup.
Simple Steps to Make Orzo Soup
Step 1: Cook the veggies
A Dutch oven is perfect for making orzo pasta soup but any large pot with a lid will work. Begin by cooking the onions and celery, if you want to add carrots, add them here.
Step 2: Boil the chicken
// What would I do without my Dutch oven, it’s a workhorse //
Step 3: Cook the pasta
Bring the broth to a boil and add orzo and cook until the pasta is al dente.
Step 4: Shred the chicken
Let the soup sit for an hour or so while the pasta absorbs the broth. Then Squeeze a lemon over the top right before serving.
A Few Recipe Notes
- You can easily adjust this recipe by increasing the amount of chicken for a heartier soup.
- When serving leftovers, the lemon flavor will need a boost so squeeze a little more lemon over each bowl.
How to Store Orzo Soup with Chicken
This lemon chicken-orzo recipe makes great leftovers. Let it cool completely and then add to airtight containers where it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 5 days. It will stay fresh in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Before serving leftovers, add a squeeze of fresh lemon to each serving.
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One-Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup with Fresh Dill
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 6 green onions sliced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs 1 ½ lbs
- 12 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup orzo
- ½ cup fresh dill chopped
- lemon
Equipment
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil and when hot, add chopped celery and green onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and broth and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until chicken has cooked through, about 20 minutes, a meat thermometer should read at least 175º. Transfer to a cutting board to cool.
- Bring the liquid to a boil and then add orzo and cook uncovered until it has softened, about 10-12 minutes.
- With two forks, shred the chicken and add it back to the pot along with chopped dill. Let it sit for a few minutes until the pasta has absorbed the broth. Squeeze lemon juice over soup before serving.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can substitute any shaped pasta for orzo.
- You can use chicken breasts but they won’t have as much flavor as thighs, remove them when they reach 165º.
- The orzo will continue to absorb liquid the longer it sits, if needed you can add additional chicken broth.
- You can adjust the recipe by adding more chicken for a heartier stew.
- For leftovers, add a squeeze of lemon over the top after reheating.
Nutrition
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