Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (2025)

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Lemon chicken orzo soup recipe takes only 30 minutes! Serve a delicious and hearty dinner from the stove to the table in less time than take out!

Lemon chicken orzo soup recipe

This soup is so filling and a great way to stretch your grocery budget. The chicken is tender and the lemon gives it the perfect amount of flavor. I think you will be surprised how simple and easy it is.

The entire dish comes together in 30 minutes. Can you believe it? This amazing meal literally takes less time than going to get take out. Fast food isn’t always fast and it sure is expensive.

You can enjoy a much better meal at home in less time and money with this tasty recipe. I can’t wait for you to try it! If you love Orzo, you may also love this Orzo Pasta Salad.

What is orzo soup made of?

This recipe has a delicious blend of spices and it all comes together for the best flavor. The lemon really gives it a burst of citrus that pairs so well with the orzo and chicken. It is amazing!

Lemon chicken orzo soup ingredients:

6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut into approximately 1 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil,/li>
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
½ Onion, Diced
3 Carrots, Peeled and Cut into Small Pieces
3 Stalks Celery, Cut into Small Pieces
½ tsp Dried Thyme
½ tsp Black Pepper
4 cups Chicken Broth
½ tsp Salt
1 Bay Leaf
2 Lemons, Juiced
1 ½ cup Orzo Pasta
2 cups Water
2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

How to make lemon chicken orzo soup:

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Then added in the onion, celery and carrots. Sauté on medium heat for approximately 4-5 minutes until tender.

Push the veggies to the side, add in the remaining olive oil. Then add in the chicken. Season the chicken with the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.

Cook the chicken until slightly browned (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Then add in the broth, water, bay leaf and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Then add in the orzo pasta. Then reduce the heat, simmer and cook until the past is cooked through (10-12 minutes).

Stir in the fresh parsley and then serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Time saving tips:

This recipe like many calls for diced onions.Another time saving tip is to use asmall food chopper or food processorto quickly and easily chop the onions.

If you do not have one of these, I highly recommend them. They are such a time saver and you can get the veggies really fine if you have children that are picky.

I usually just chop the entire vegetable and freeze what I don’t need. It’s so nice to be able to just take the diced onion out of the freezer for recipes.

Stretch your meat budget with lemon chicken orzo soup!

This recipe is a great way to stretch your grocery budget. The veggies and pasta help to stretch the chicken.

You can substitute chicken thighs for chicken breasts or even a mix of both. Don’t have orzo? Use a small pasta instead.

This soup is very simple to adapt to what you have on hand. You can even use rice.

Toss in some baby spinach for a change. Yum! The ideas are endless.

If you like chicken noodle soup, your family will enjoy this chicken orzo soup.

I often just use what I have in the freezer or what is on sale at the grocery store. We are fans of using what we already have.

We love simple recipes like this. I keep recipes like this on the regular menu plan rotation because I know the entire family will enjoy these meals.

In fact, I cut our grocery bill by 50% off by following these8 Tips for for Saving Money on Groceries by Menu Planning! Save that money for something else.

If you love comfort foods like we do, this soup is a must try and one of our favorites.

Print this lemon chicken orzo soup recipe below:

Review

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Lemon chicken orzo soup

5 from 9 votes

Lemon chicken orzo soup recipe takes only 30 minutes! Serve a delicious dinner from the stove to the table in less time than take out!

Ingredients

▢ 6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut into approximately 1 inch pieces
▢ 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil Divided
▢ 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
▢ 1/2 Onion Diced
▢ 3 Carrots Peeled and Cut into Small Pieces
▢ 3 Stalks Celery Cut into Small Pieces
▢ 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
▢ 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
▢ 1/2 tsp Salt
▢ 1 Bay Leaf
▢ 2 Lemons Juiced
▢ 1 1/2 cup Orzo Pasta
▢ 4 cups Chicken Broth
▢ 2 cups Water
▢ 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley chopped

Instructions

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Then added in the onion, celery and carrots. Sauté on medium heat for approximately 4-5 minutes until tender.
Push the veggies to the side, add in the remaining olive oil. Then add in the chicken. Season the chicken with the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken until slightly browned (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Then add in the broth, water, bay leaf and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Then add in the orzo pasta. Then reduce the heat, simmer and cook until the past is cooked through (10-12 minutes).
Stir in the fresh parsley and then serve immediately.
Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Calories 493kcal, Carbohydrates 37g, Protein 57g, Fat 12g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 145mg, Sodium 535mg, Potassium 1223mg, Fiber 3g, Sugar 4g, Vitamin A 5279IU, Vitamin C 26mg, Calcium 51mg, Iron 2mg