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Home » chicken » Creamy lemon chicken orzo soup (30-minute recipe)

Creamy lemon chicken orzo soup (30-minute recipe)

Posted Feb 13, 2017 | Updated Mar 18, 2020 by Helen | 22 Comments |

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A close up of some creamy lemon chicken orzo soup
Someone eating from a bowl of creamy lemon chicken orzo soup

Anything with the words ‘creamy’, ‘lemon’ or ‘orzo’ in, and I’m sold. So how could a soup with all three of these in, plus CHICKEN, be anything but delicious? And the best thing is, this creamy lemon chicken orzo soup only takes 30 minutes to make!

Closeup of someone eating lemon chicken orzo soup out of a white bowl with a spoon with lemons and other ingredients in the background

There are so many cool things about this creamy lemon chicken orzo soup, I’m not sure where to begin. I think what I like most about it is that while it’s a nice chunky soup 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’s also ‘light’ enough to throw in a Tupperware and take to work for lunch.

And of course, as I’ve already said (but I’ll say it again just so you get how much I love this soup), it’s got that triple whammy of creamy, lemon and orzo in it to make it extra yummy.

You might be wondering why I didn’t use milk to win a few more points in the ‘healthy’ department? Well, to be honest I did consider it, but I was worried about the lemon juice curdling the milk, which doesn’t happen so easily with cream.

And the thing is, there is really quite a small amount of cream in it – only a third of a cup in the whole pot, which serves at least 4, if not more.

Not that we’re worried about a little cream, of course.

Collage of 2 images showing the vegetables cooking for a soup and also the finished chicken orzo soup with a ladle.

The other little trick I used to make this lovely and lemony (but not overwhelmingly so) was to add just 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, which is equivalent to about the juice of a small lemon. But then I added the zest of the lemon, too. This way there’s no chance of any unpleasant curdling.

What’s orzo, anyway?

The orzo, or risoni – which is sort of rice-shaped pasta, in case  you were wondering – is the soup version of the icing on the cake. You only need about ¾ of a cup, less if you like, to make a lovely hearty soup.

And if you can’t find orzo where you live (it’s fairly tricky to find here in the UK, actually!), giant or Israeli couscous would work instead. 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.

Closeup of creamy lemon chicken orzo soup in a pot from above with a black ladle in it.

Do you cook the orzo before adding it to the soup?

Nope. Add it with the stock and let it simmer for 10 minutes as you would regular pasta. Delicious!

This is definitely going to be a regular in our soup rotation. It’s a perfect winter warmer for this time of year, exciting  and filling enough to cheer you up on a dreary mid-winter day, but not so heavy that you don’t have room for dessert! 😉

P.S.  like to use a cast iron Dutch oven pot like this one to cook this soup! This pot is great. Just like a Le Creuset cast iron pot, but not as expensive. 

And if you like this recipe…

  • You might also enjoy this baked Greek chicken orzo. It’s also a perfect quick and easy meal for midweek that the whole family will enjoy!
  • How about this 30-minute Greek mac and cheese bake? It has a creamy evaporated milk and egg sauce (no roux and flour) and works great as an easy midweek main dish or side.
  • This easy crockpot chicken gnocchi soup is very popular and you can make it either in your slow cooker or pressure cooker.

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Someone eating from a bowl of chicken orzo soup with a spoon and with ingredients and a red pot in the background.

Creamy Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup

Looking for a healthy, warm and cozy soup? This creamy chicken lemon orzo soup really hits the spot and is so simple to make!
5 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings (click to change) 4 (at least)
Author Helen

Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)

cups/ounces – grams/ml
  • 1 pound chicken thighs skinless & boneless, chopped into small pieces and rolled in about 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 carrots large, diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1.5 teaspoons Italian herbs dried, or ½ teaspoon each oregano, thyme, basil
  • 2 bay leaves (optional)
  • 1 parmesan rind (optional)
  • 7 cups chicken broth (UK/Australia = stock)
  • 0.75 cups orzo pasta dried (or other small pasta)
  • 0.33 cups cream
  • 2 handfuls spinach chopped
  • 1 lemon small (zest & juice), equal to about 3 tablespoons juice
  • salt and pepper
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
 

  • Pan fry the chicken pieces in a large saucepan or heavy-bottomed casserole dish in a large drizzle of oil for a few minutes until all the pieces have turned white. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Add a little more oil to the pan and saute the onion, carrots, and celery together for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add the garlic and herbs to the pan and stir for a few seconds, then add the bay leaves and parmesan rind (if using), stock, and orzo. Add the chicken back into the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the orzo is cooked.
  • Finally, add the cream, spinach, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and serve!

Notes

Orzo pasta is sometimes called risoni.
I actually didn’t have quite enough orzo left the last time I made this soup, so I made up the rest with giant couscous. Use any small pasta you like if you can’t find orzo! Gnocchi and tortellini also works well in this soup. Just adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions.
This soup is on the chunky side, but feel free to add a bit more water at the end if you think you’d prefer a thinner soup (obviously this will also make it go a bit further!).

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 25gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 1652mgPotassium: 968mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 6980IUVitamin C: 52.5mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 2.9mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know if you liked it!

Comments

  1. Sammy says

    28 Jun 22 at 4:26 pm

    5 stars
    Sweet lord Helen!!! Amazing texture and flavourful!! Every mouthful is different and the flavour gets better as the days go by. Perfect for my partner’s lunch in a flask.❤❤❤❤❤ I’ve had this for breakfast on cold mornings. Xx

    Reply
    • Helen says

      29 Jun 22 at 8:16 pm

      This is wonderful to hear, Sammy! Thank you so much for letting me know! I love that you sent it to work in a flask… and even ate it for breakfast! Why not??!! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Robin says

    27 Oct 20 at 9:28 am

    5 stars
    Hi Helen,
    I made this soup tonight for my family and we all loved it! The creaminess is just perfect and the lemony flavor is lovely. I’m going to check out more of your recipes! Thanks for the inspiration for tonight’s meal!

    Robin

    Reply
    • Helen says

      28 Oct 20 at 3:52 pm

      Hello Robin! Thank you so much for the feedback! This is one of my all-time favourite soups. So happy you’re going to try out some of the other recipes – let me know what you think!

      Reply
  3. Trisha says

    26 Jan 20 at 7:18 am

    5 stars
    We love this recipe. It’s creamy without being heavy and the lemon is great. . Our preference is for thighs over breasts because they have so much more flavor. One key thing: this is NOT a 30 minute recipe. The cook time is closer to 45 and the prep is EASILY the same. It’s worth the time but anyone who is expecting this to be a fast prep meal will be disappointed. I’ve made it twice and each time has been about 1.5 hours total. No one chops and preps all those ingredients in 5 minutes!! Worth the time but plan accordingly.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      27 Jan 20 at 11:57 am

      Hi Trisha, and thank you so much for your review. I’m so glad you love this recipe, and thanks also for the honest feedback on the cooking time. I’ll let you into a secret. I made this again recently. We loved it as much as ever but you’re right – it did take longer than 30 minutes to prepare! Maybe if you have a double espresso before starting the prep it’s just about possible to get it on the table in about half an hour, but otherwise it might take longer 😉

      Reply
  4. Jamie says

    26 Jul 19 at 11:31 am

    5 stars
    We love this soup! So cozy and rich with just the right amount of brightness from the lemon.

    I just made a huge batch and I have one question, can this recipe be frozen?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      26 Jul 19 at 1:10 pm

      Hi Jamie! Oh, soooo great to hear this! THANK YOU so much for letting me know – this sort of feedback makes my day!
      And yes, absolutely you can freeze it! Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. April says

    06 Mar 18 at 9:04 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh, that looks and sounds absolutely wonderful. I love lemon in my soup, and I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      08 Mar 18 at 8:10 am

      Hi April, thanks for the top rating!

      Reply
  6. Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says

    06 Mar 18 at 7:54 pm

    5 stars
    You beat me too it! My comment would have gone along the lines of ‘Anything with the words creamy, lemony or pasta in it and I am sold’

    Which is so true. I am drawn to everything savour and creamy. Tomato pasta doesn’t make me truely happy, but creamy pasta….now we are talking. Turing it into a soup means better slurpability and the chance to dunk bread in, which is another food love.

    Seriously I need this in my kitchen!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      06 Mar 18 at 8:29 pm

      Great minds think alike, Claire!!

      After reading your brunch pasta post, I should have known this post would be up your street!

      Hope you try this some day. It’s addictive!

      Reply
  7. marcie says

    20 Feb 17 at 3:34 am

    I’m a huge fan of lemon in chicken soup, Helen, and orzo is just the best! No worries about adding cream, sometimes there’s just no substitute. This soup looks so creamy and delicious, and I love that it’s ready in 30 minutes!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      24 Feb 17 at 10:02 am

      Hello Marcie – so happy that you approve of the soup. Isn’t lemon just the best? Unfortunately Mr. Scrummy isn’t a huge fan, but I still keep on throwing it into loads of recipes, the poor thing!! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Marissa says

    18 Feb 17 at 10:38 pm

    I’m with you! You’ve combined some of my favorite flavors into one gorgeous looking soup. Love that it’s easy enough to make on a weeknight too!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      19 Feb 17 at 12:41 pm

      Thanks Marissa! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Shashi at RunninSrilankan says

    15 Feb 17 at 2:22 pm

    Helen,you are so spot on – there are so many cool things about this soup and I so love how chunky and thick it is!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      19 Feb 17 at 12:41 pm

      Thank you, dear Shashi! 🙂

      Reply
  10. mira says

    13 Feb 17 at 10:08 pm

    This soup looks fantastic! Perfect for the cold weather around here! Pinning to try it! Hope you guys are doing well 🙂

    Reply
    • Helen says

      15 Feb 17 at 9:10 am

      Thank you so much, Mira. We’re doing OK, thanks. There are some tough moments in these first few weeks, but we’re so happy to have him with us. I hope you’re well too!

      Reply
  11. Eva says

    13 Feb 17 at 9:45 pm

    Que des bons ingrédients! J’adore cette soupe, à faire d’urgence! J’aime beaucoup l’idée que soit un plat unique! x

    Reply
    • Helen says

      15 Feb 17 at 9:11 am

      Merci, Eva. C’est si simple, mais si delicieuse!

      Reply

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