Easy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (Creamy & Comforting)

Name: Easy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (Creamy & Comforting)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound chicken thighs (skinless & boneless, chopped into small pieces); 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ((for rolling the chicken in for thickness)); 3 tablespoons olive oil (for cooking); 1 onion (diced); 2 large carrots (diced); 2 stalks celery (diced); 3 cloves garlic (crushed); 1½ teaspoons Italian herbs (dried, or a mixture of Mediterranean herbs e.g. oregano, thyme, basil); 2 bay leaves ((optional)); 7 cups chicken broth ((stock)); ¾ cups orzo pasta (dried (or other small pasta)); ⅓ cup heavy cream ((sometimes called double cream/thickened cream)); 1½ cups spinach (chopped and washed (or baby spinach which you won't need to chop)); 1 small lemon ((zest & juice), equal to 2-3 tablespoons juice); ¾ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper

By Helen Schofield

on Oct 24, 2025

22 Comments

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It’s hard to imagine how a soup with the words ‘creamy’, ‘lemon’ or ‘orzo’ in the title could be anything but delicious. This lemon chicken orzo soup is this, but it’s also hearty yet on the lighter side, packed with vegetables, and tangy and citrusy. The best part? It can be on the table in a little over 30 minutes!

A white bowl of creamy chicken orzo soup with someone scooping up a spoonful, and with ingredients scattered around it.

A cozy soup that has it all
📌Recipe snapshot
About the ingredients
How to make an easy lemon chicken orzo soup
Helen’s Top Tips
Recipe FAQs
More easy comforting soup recipes
Easy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (Creamy & Comforting) Recipe

A cozy soup that has it all

This lemon chicken orzo soup has it all. It’s hearty with plenty of veggie goodness in it (don’t you just hate those soups that you buy from the supermarket that are all watery and have about half a veggie in them?). It makes a perfect Fall or Winter family dinner, perhaps with fresh Italian bread such as Italian focaccia on the side. It’s also ‘light’ enough to throw in a Tupperware and take to work for lunch.

The texture is rich and creamy, with a satisfying bite from the orzo (or rice-shaped pasta!) and yet there’s only a third of a cup of cream in the whole pot. Last but certainly not least, the touch of lemon adds a perhaps surprising light and fresh flavor to tie everything together!

I hesitated to call this a 30-minute meal because it can take a little bit of time to chop the vegetables into small pieces. You can get around this, however, by buying ready-chopped and washed veggies.

📌Recipe snapshot

A (roughly) 30-minute soup
Minimum prep and ingredients, but maximum flavor
Creamy without much cream
Hearty, comforting, fresh, citrusy, nutritious!
A perfect midweek family dinner (easy to prep ahead and/or freeze!)

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

Collage of all the ingredients needed to make a creamy lemon chicken orzo soup labelled, including orzo, chicken, spinach, carrots, celery, onion, herbs, parmesan, lemon, broth, garlic and cream.

Chicken: I use thighs, but you could use breasts if you prefer. I like to chop it into small pieces that are a similar size to the vegetables.
All-purpose flour: You’ll just need around 2 tablespoons to roll the chicken in. This adds a tiny bit of thickness to the chicken orzo soup. Skip it if you like, or use corn starch instead.
Vegetables: You only need an onion, a few carrots, some garlic and some spinach.
Herbs: I usually use dried mixed Italian herbs. This typically includes oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, basil, and sage. If you don’t have it, simply use a mixture of any of these that you have in your pantry!
Chicken Broth: Good quality, if you can!
Orzo: In case you don’t know, orzo, or risoni, is rice-shaped pasta. It may or may not be tricky to find, depending on where you live. If you’re struggling to find it, feel free to use giant/Israeli couscous instead. Or any kind of small pasta, really.
Cream: The soup contains a little heavy cream to make the soup silky smooth and creamy (without being heavy). Another kind of cream or even half-and-half will work, too.
Spinach: To add color and extra nutrition to the soup. Baby spinach works well as you won’t need to chop it.
Lemon: You’ll use both the juice and zest to bring brightness, freshness and flavor to the soup. Don’t skip it!
Salt and pepper: Since the ingredients in the soup are quite minimal, the correct amount of seasoning will really help to enhance the other flavors.

How to make an easy lemon chicken orzo soup

Step 1: First, pan fry the chicken pieces in a large drizzle of oil. I usually use a large saucepan or a heavy-bottomed casserole dish such as a Dutch oven. Sauté the chicken for a couple of minutes until it turns white. Then remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set them aside.

Step 2: Add a little bit more oil to the pan and sauté the vegetables together for about 10 minutes. Make sure you stir them often so they don’t stick to the pan or burn.

Step 3: After that, it’s time to add the garlic and the herbs to the pan and give it a good stir. A few seconds should be enough. Then add the bay leaves, broth, and orzo. Put the chicken pieces back into the pan and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked.

Step 4: Finally, add the cream, spinach, lemon juice and zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Give everything a good stir and serve your incredible chicken lemon orzo soup!

Creamy lemon chicken orzo soup (ready in just 30 minutes!)

Helen’s Top Tips

This chicken orzo soup is on the thicker side. Prefer it a bit thinner? Just add a bit more water or broth at the end. This of course will make it go a bit further, too.
Why not try the recipe again using gnocchi or tortellini? Just make sure you add it at the right time according to the cooking time stated on the package.
You can also use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. If you’ve got cooked chicken like rotisserie chicken, add it towards the end of cooking (just long enough to thoroughly heat through).
If you have a parmesan rind hanging around, add it to the soup as it boils for a little extra flavor!
This soup reheats well. You can store it well covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, you may need to add a little more broth or water, since the orzo will absorb some of the liquid as it sits.
If everyone’s super hungry, you may wish to serve some bread with your soup. May I suggest these 2-minute olive oil toasts, 10-minute parmesan cheese toasts, or if you have a little more time, this quick homemade focaccia?

Recipe FAQs

What are some good substitutes for orzo?

If you don’t have orzo, there are a few different kinds of pasta you can use which make excellent substitutes. Giant or Israeli couscous works well. Or any small pasta shape really. If you want to go completely wild, why not sub the orzo for gnocchi, or tortellini? Both of these cook quickly, so you could just add them in at the appropriate moment just before the soup’s finished cooking.

Can I use frozen vegetables in this soup?

You can. However, they may be a little softer than fresh vegetables in the finished soup.

Does lemon chicken orzo soup freeze well?

You can freeze this chicken orzo soup, however the texture of the pasta may change slightly after it’s reheated. I don’t mind this, but if you do you can make the soup without the orzo. When you’re ready to eat your defrosted soup, you can cook the orzo separately then add it into the soup just before serving.

Can I make lemon chicken orzo soup in my slow cooker?

Yes! You can cook it on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. However, only add the orzo for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking or until ‘al dente’.

More easy comforting soup recipes

This easy crockpot chicken gnocchi soup is very popular and you can make it either in your slow cooker or pressure cooker.
This delicious and healthy slow cooker Thai pumpkin and red lentil soup is creamy, tasty and very warming.
This Greek lentil soup is so easy and yet so tasty with vinegar stirred in and a sprinkle of feta cheese.
In the Fall, try this simple butternut squash tomato soup.