Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup

Amethyst · January 11, 2026, 4:14pm

Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup

Servings: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 white onion diced, about ¼ of a medium onion
2 large carrots, about 1 cup diced carrots
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
64 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound chicken breast
1 cup water
1 teaspoon oregano - dried
1/2 teaspoon thyme - dried
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup orzo dried
1 large lemon, juice, about 2-3 tablespoons, or one lemon
1 cup spinach, diced

Directions:

Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven or soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion and diced carrots in the pan and sauté. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the carrots and onions have softened.

Turn the stove down to medium heat. Place the butter in the pot with the carrots and onions. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.

Place the flour in the pot and stir quickly for about a minute. Pour 64 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth and one cup of water into the pot. Add the oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pot.

Turn up the heat to high, then add the chicken breast. Bring the entire pot to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Allow the chicken to simmer in the pot for 10- 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. This time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken.

Remove the chicken from the pot and dice it into bite-sized pieces, then set aside.

Add one cup of dried orzo pasta to the pot and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Cook the orzo pasta in the soup for ten minutes or until tender and al dente. Stir occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Add the chicken back to the soup. Add the juice from half of a lemon to the soup. Taste and add the second half of the lemon if you prefer. Place the diced spinach into the pot and stir until wilted, about one minute. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

If you prefer a stronger lemon flavor, add between ¼ and a half a teaspoon of lemon zest to the soup when you add the lemon juice.

This soup will thicken more over time, and it thickens a lot more in the refrigerator overnight. When you reheat the leftovers, you will need to add a little water to each bowl.

You can use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken in this recipe. If the chicken you are using is already cooked, you’ll only need to simmer it in the broth for about five minutes instead of 10-15 before moving to the next step.

How To Adjust The Lemon Flavor:

I made a few rounds with the suggested lemon zest also, and as a lemon fan really enjoyed the extra punch of lemon flavor it can give the soup. You can easily adjust the amount of fresh lemon juice and zest in this soup to your own tastes.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe Variations:

Try Adding Kale– While I prefer spinach, kale is another great addition to this soup. Make sure to remove the tough kale stems. You can also use frozen kale.

Top with Parmesan Cheese– The saltiness of the Parmesan cheese is delicious on top of this soup!

Add Fresh Herbs– If you have fresh herbs on hand, flavors like fresh thyme, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, or even fresh basil are delicious in this soup. Chop them and add them at the end to give the soup a fresh lift. I’ll be sure to add some fresh herbs at the end if I have them next time, so tasty!

Make It Creamy– To make this soup creamy, you can finish it with a drizzle of heavy cream or half and half in the pot right before serving. I recommend using between 1/4 and 1/2 cup to your taste.

Make The Broth Look More Yellow- A pinch of turmeric in this soup gives the broth even more of a delicious yellow appearance. This is especially helpful if you add cream to the soup, which will make the soup appear more white.

How Long Does This Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe Last?

Expect this soup to last for about three days in the refrigerator if you store soup in an airtight covered container.

This lemon chicken orzo soup can be frozen and will be delicious when reheated. If I am reheating the soup from frozen, I sometimes add an extra squeeze of fresh lemon when serving.

Why Does The Orzo Soak Up The Broth When Storing Leftover Soup?

This soup will thicken on the second day. Expect to add a little water when reheating leftover soup the next day or defrosting frozen soup, as the orzo will expand and absorb some or even most of the broth. It’s still a wonderful recipe to make and enjoy for lunches as meal prep.

You can cook the orzo separately and add it back to the pot after boiling it in water. This can sometimes help to make sure the orzo is tender, but it can keep the orzo from soaking up all of the broth.

The orzo pasta will continue to soak up the broth the longer it sits in the broth. I find it’s simplest with this easy recipe to just add some water when reheating. The soup will still have plenty of flavor.

Nutritional Facts:

Recipe courtesy of On My Kid’s Plate.com