Lemon Chicken Soup

Lemon Chicken Soup is a different twist on traditional chicken noodle soup. The recipe replaces the usual egg noodles with orzo pasta , which is a rice shaped pasta. This change makes the soup lighter, while still comforting. It has a great fresh taste and a nice lemony flavor, thanks to the addition of lemon juice, lemon zest and fresh dill. It also has lots of vegetables that make it pretty healthy.

Lemon Chicken Soup is a fast and easy soup to put together . The soup is ready in under 30 minutes and makes enough to bring leftovers for lunch or freeze for one of those days that you just can’t face coming home and making dinner!

Homemade chicken soup is classic comfort food. Hearty soups make great quick meals on a cold winter night. There is nothing more warming than a large bowl of hot soup.

There are so many great chicken soup variations that are good for soup season. If you are looking for a creamy chicken soup recipe, check out Lemon Chicken Rice Soup.

If you are a fan of brown rice you may like this comforting soup. Check out Chicken Brown Rice Soup.

If you want to try a Mexican inspired chicken soup check out Chicken Tortilla Soup .

If you like copycat recipes, check out Chickarina Soup.

SOME THINGS TO KNOW:

• If you want to save some time, buy a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking it yourself. You could also roast a chicken  and get one meal plus use the leftover chicken in the soup.
• This soup would also be delicious with dark meat. You can cook and shred boneless chicken thighs.
• If you do not care for fresh dill, add fresh herbs that you enjoy.
• Orzo is a good substitute for white rice in this soup. If you are unable to locate it you could try Ditalini pasta which is a small tubed shaped pasta or Couscous which is a semolina pasta shaped into small round balls.
• This soup will keep well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Be sure to store it in an airtight container.
• You can freeze this soup in in airtight freezer container for 2-3 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.
• The best way to reheat the soup the next time is in a large saucepan on top of the stove. Heat it over low heat until it is heated through. You may need to add a bit more broth to the soup as the orzo pasta will absorb the broth as it has been sitting.

Lemon Chicken Soup

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Serves: 8 Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus additional time for chicken Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken *see note
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup sliced carrots, 3 carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery, 2 stalks
• 1 small onion, diced
• 12 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo (rice shaped pasta)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill
• 1- 6 ounce bag fresh baby spinach, stems removed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

In a dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook until the onions become translucent and the vegetables start to become tender. This should take about 5 minutes. Make sure that you do not let the onions brown.

Add the chicken stock and pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat to medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to the low setting and simmer the hot broth for about 10 minutes, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender.

While you are doing this, fill a second large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the uncooked orzo to the pot and cook it for 2 minutes less than the box directions for al dente.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

When the vegetables are tender, add the chicken, orzo, lemon juice, lemon zest and dill to the stock pot. Heat through for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for about 2 minutes until wilted.

Taste the soup and add some Kosher salt to taste.

Lemon Chicken Soup was last modified: October 12th, 2022 by Sue O'Connell

Notes

If you want to cook your own chicken, 1 pound of boneless chicken breast will yield 3 cups of cooked chicken. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until cooked through. If you want to use a rotisserie chicken you will need a two to two and a half pound chicken to yield 3 cups.