This Crockpot lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is healthy, super easy, and delicious. Come home to a steaming bowl of cozy soup!
This slow cooker chicken and orzo soup will come in handy this winter. It’s the perfect way to warm up with very little effort!
It’s also the perfect soup if you’re feeling under the weather. It’s comforting and the vitamin C from the lemon will help make you better again. 🙂
This is a soup that the whole family will love.
How to make lemon chicken orzo soup in the Crockpot
Add the chopped carrots, celery, chicken, chicken broth, vegetable broth (or water), garlic, basil, Italian, seasoning, and bay leaves to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Around 30 minutes prior to serving the soup, shred the chicken, and add the lemon juice, parsley, and orzo to the Crockpot.
I suggest stirring it every so often so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Oh, and Happy Halloween! Ok, so this isn’t a Halloween-themed recipe, but I’ll acknowledge the occasion anyway. 🙂
Do you have any plans tonight? Trick-or-treating or handing out candy? I’m guessing most people did their Halloween parties over the weekend since this year Halloween falls on a Tuesday.
I don’t party much (shocking!), so I did not attend any parties haha. I’m a ton of fun.
Back to the soup! You know how sometimes parsley is just a pretty garnish and doesn’t really make or break a dish?
Well, I highly recommend adding the parsley to this Greek lemon chicken orzo soup. Adding the parsley and lemon juice at the end really perks it up and takes this out of just-another-chicken-soup recipe territory.
This would also be a great recipe to serve after all that Halloween candy. 😉 Enjoy!
Will you make this slow cooker lemon chicken orzo soup?
Let me know in the comments below!
Crockpot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
This Crockpot lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is healthy, super easy, and family-friendly. Come home to a steaming bowl of deliciousness!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 large carrots peeled & sliced
- 2 sticks celery chopped fine
- 2 (10 fluid ounce) cans chicken broth
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 bay leaves
- Juice from 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
- Handful fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep your celery and carrot. Trim any fat off the chicken.
- Add all ingredients except for the salt & pepper, lemon juice, parsley, and orzo. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- About 30 minutes prior to serving, remove the bay leaves, shred the chicken with 2 forks, and add the lemon juice, parsley, orzo, and salt & pepper. I recommend stirring every 10 minutes or so because the orzo may stick to the bottom of the slow cooker otherwise. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat (I'd use 6 of them in this recipe and keep the cooking time the same). If you're cooking this for the full 8 hours the chicken breasts may dry out a bit - you may want to considering using chicken thighs instead.
- If you're cooking it for 6 hours or less, I do suggest ensuring your chicken is properly cooked when you go to shred it.
- This is the 7 quart Crockpot I used to make this recipe.
You may also like my Crockpot Mexican chicken soup, my Crockpot cabbage soup recipe, my chicken tortellini soup, or my Crockpot chicken stew.
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
LOVE ORZO!
Natasha says
Thanks!
Ann says
Will 8 hours in the crock pot dry out the chicken. This has happened to me before.
Natasha says
Hi Ann! If you’re worried about that happening, then I suggest you use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Those tend to retain their moisture better during slow cooking. I find chicken breasts to be dryer in general, but I know a lot of people prefer the white meat… so when I come up with these Crockpot recipes, it’s a bit of I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. 🙂 With that said, I didn’t find the chicken in here to be overly dry. You could also cook it for less than 8 hours (I’d aim for 5-6 hours), but I would just make sure you check to ensure the chicken is fully cooked when you go to shred it.
Leigh Ann says
Love a good chicken soup recipe and anything in the crockpot sign me up!
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Leigh Ann! Yup, love the ease of slow cooker recipes! 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Perfect healthy bowl of soup after all the Halloween indulging Natasha! I just broke out my CrockPot the other day to make some soup. I’ll need to try your recipe. It looks delicious!
Natasha says
Thank you 🙂 Let me know if you try it!! Happy Halloween!
Jennifer Farley says
I’m making this soup this week!
Natasha says
Hope you enjoy it, Jennifer! 🙂
Matt Robinson says
After all the candy I ate last night, and with the weather finally cooling down, I’ve gotta make this!
Natasha says
Thanks, Matt!! It definitely will make you feel a little healthier hehe.
Catherine says
Going to try this one for sure.
Natasha says
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂 Have a great weekend.
Alison says
Hi! Recipe looks great – I’m making it now. If I wanted to cook on high instead, do u think it would be the same? And maybe 4 or 6 hrs on high?
Thank you!
Natasha says
Thanks, Alison!! I would give it between 3 and 4 hours on high, but just make sure to double check the chicken is properly cooked through when you go to shred it. Hope you love the recipe!
Veronika says
Lovely recipe, perfect for autumn! Have to try the recipe!
Natasha says
Thank you!! I hope you love it.
Rhonda says
This is a feel-good , yummy soup,,,,
I sprinkled With Parmesan cheese and chopped spring onions right before serving ,,,
Guests loved it,,, so did the fam,,
Natasha says
That’s great to hear!! So glad everyone enjoyed it, Rhonda. Thanks for leaving a comment! And spring onions and parmesan sound like fabulous additions! 🙂
Maura Hodits says
Can you freeze this with the orzo already in it
Natasha says
Hi Maura! I wouldn’t recommend it (it’ll be a little mushy).
Priscilla Skibo says
Can I make this with premade chicken (Like rotisserie) on the stove top? I want a good lemin orzo chicken soup recipe and there’s close to nothing online.
Natasha says
I think that it would work cooking it on the stovetop just fine with rotisserie chicken. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Gina says
do you think i could add an extra veggie in this like a potato or mushroom?
Natasha says
Of course! If you add mushrooms, I probably would add them in halfway through or closer to the end because they can get a little rubbery. Hope you enjoy the soup!
Lin says
This was SO good….I added a little fresh ginger to it, just because (I like ginger) So much flavor- I will be making this again and freezing some!
Natasha says
So pleased you liked it, Lin. Ginger sounds like a great addition!