Chicken Soup is the perfect meal any time of day all year long! This Lemon Chicken Soup will warm you from the inside out, especially during this winter weather. Cozy on up to a big bowl of t!
There’s a reason that chicken noodle soup is the universal comfort food… it just WORKS! One spoonful of that familiar savory soup recipe and you’re transported back to childhood.
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Doesn’t that just look like pure comfort food?
I just love to serve delicious and hearty soups like Vegetable Soup, Ham Bone Soup, and this easy Chicken Orzo Soup! This is no ordinary chicken soup though, it comes with a bit of a twist! This lemon chicken orzo soup has got plenty of fresh herbs like rosemary and oregano, uses orzo pasta, and has a squeeze of bright lemon juice.
How Do You Make Lemon Chicken Soup?
This soup can be made in about 30 minutes on the stovetop. And you can even shave that time down by using precooked chicken. We like to make this soup extra quick with rotisserie chicken leftovers too! The steps to make easy chicken soup are:
- Cook the chicken and set aside
- Cook the vegetables
- Add broth and bring to a boil
- Shred chicken
- Add orzo, chicken and herbs to the broth
It’s that simple!
Do You Cook Orzo Before Adding to Soup?
Nope, it cooks right in the soup as it simmers, so there’s no need to dirty another pot! I’m all about recipes that use less dishes.
Can Other Pasta Shapes Be Used? What About Rice?
Absolutely! Chicken soup can easily be made with any kind of pasta and this Greek inspired lemon soup is no exception. Any short cut of pasta will work, just simmer until the pasta is al dente.
Rice will work well to make a chicken lemon rice soup recipe, but keep in mind that different types of rice have different cook times. White rice should be tender in about 12-15 minutes, just do a taste test to make sure.
So the next time you get a craving for classic comfort food, give this delicious Chicken Soup recipe a try! Our favorite thing to have alongside chicken soup is my incredibly easy No Knead Artisan Bread!
More Delicious Soups to Try!
- Turkey Soup
- Meatball Soup
- Homemade French Onion Soup
- Easy Hamburger Soup
- Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 chicken breasts boneless skinless, trimmed of fat
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 large celery stalk diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups chicken broth reduced sodium
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup orzo pasta dried uncooked
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh oregano
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Add olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a large dutch oven or stockpot and heat over medium heat. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Add chicken to dutch oven and cook 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Set chicken aside on a plate.
- Add remaining butter to dutch oven, then add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in dried thyme.
- Pour in chicken broth and water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the dutch oven. Bring to a boil.
- While soup is coming up to a boil, shred chicken using two forks. Once soup is starting to boil, stir in shredded chicken, orzo, bay leaf and add sprigs of rosemary and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, until orzo is tender.
- Remove and discard bay leaf and rosemary/oregano sprigs. Stir in lemon juice and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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This is absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly the first time. Then I started adding my own creative touches to it. Now it’s turned into a whole new delicious soup that I never would’ve created without starting here. If anyone is interested, for my recipe I omit the orzo, add lime juice (in addition to the lemon), and add a bunch of fresh spinach. And finally, I make matzoh balls and throw those in. I call it “Mediterranean Matzoh Ball Soup”. It’s incredible! I’ve made both recipes several times and they’re always a hit. Thank you for the inspiration! :)
What kind of chicken breasts are you using that are done 3-4 minutes per side? Are you only cooking to medium rare? Are you pounding them down first? Mine took triple the time you advise on medium high heat
Chicken breasts can range in size from 5oz to 10oz so there can be some variation in cook time. You’ll want to ensure that the chicken reaches 165°F.
can you boiil chinken
Sure you can!
What would you consider a serving ?
Approximately 1 1/2 cups, it can vary slightly Linda.
Making this now but using Quorn fillets and vegetable broth instead…will let you know how it turns out.
It was fantastic, will be making again.
Can you substitute dried herbs in place of the fresh ones?
Yes, we substitute about 1/3 dry for fresh. You can find more info on substituting dry/fresh herbs here.
Thank you for the recipe, easy to make and tastes delicious!
Thank you Gail! Glad you enjoyed it.
Made this last week and can’t wait to make it again – my family just loved it! Simple and easy to make – I did cheat by using rotisserie chicken and add additional low sodium chicken broth. Refrigerated leftovers and added more broth the next day since the orzo soaked so much up. It was just as delicious the next day. This is a keeper – thank you!
Everything looks good!!
Super easy to make and very comfy soup. Thank you for the recipe. :)
You’re so welcome Helina!
Yummy soup! Used leftover rotisserie chicken and orzo as suggested. We added 3-4 additional cups of broth, as we like our soup brothy. We also added red pepper flakes and NM green chile because we like things hot! Served with a baguette for dipping… delicious!
Thank u. I need new ideas
So many yummy ideas on our all recipes page Sanet! Check them out for some easy meal inspiration :)
It was delicious, the seasonings were just right. Thanks for the great recipe, it is a keeper.
What a nice soup! I used tubettini because I didn’t have orzo. Came out perfect. So easy to make, but tastes much more complicated. This is definitely replacing my old standby recipe. Thanks for sharing this.
That sounds like a delicious substitution Kim! So happy you loved it.
Sooooo good!! Added more lemon juice and chicken broth and gluten free elbows instead of orzo! Delicious!!!
Yay! So happy this worked out for you Jackie.
You think this soup will freeze well? Chicken soup usually does.
Yes, this soup freezes well.
Did you have a slimming soup recipe several weeks ago? I accidently deleted it. If so could you send it again.
You can find my vegetable soup recipe here. Enjoy!
love your recipies, easy but very good. Have you put out a cookbook?
No cookbook at this time Mona. Enjoy the recipes on Spend With Pennies!
Wow! This recipe is fantastic and a keeper in my kitchen. Thanks for sharing this flavorful soup!
You’re welcome, so glad you love the soup Amy!
This is not true Greek soup. The real Greek lemon soup is called avgolemono soup and has eggs in the recipe. My mother made it for me when I had mono and couldn’t eat anything else.
Nowhere did the recipe imply that this was a Greek soup. Anyways, it was DELICIOUS!
So happy you love the soup Angelina!