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. ๐
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. ๐
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. ๐ Enjoy!
You may also like my Crockpot Mexican chicken soup, my chicken and rice soup, this Crockpot cabbage soup recipe, my chicken tortellini soup, or my Crockpot chicken stew.
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 seasoningย
- 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.ย
- 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.ย
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.ย
- This is the 7 quart Crockpot I used to make this recipe.ย
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
October 31, 2017 at 8:55 AMLOVE ORZO!
Natasha says
October 31, 2017 at 9:06 AMThanks!
Ann says
November 6, 2017 at 10:11 AMWill 8 hours in the crock pot dry out the chicken. This has happened to me before.
Natasha says
November 6, 2017 at 10:25 AMHi 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. ๐ 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
October 31, 2017 at 10:46 AMLove a good chicken soup recipe and anything in the crockpot sign me up!
Natasha says
October 31, 2017 at 10:54 AMThanks so much, Leigh Ann! Yup, love the ease of slow cooker recipes! ๐
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
October 31, 2017 at 2:56 PMPerfect 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
October 31, 2017 at 6:47 PMThank you ๐ Let me know if you try it!! Happy Halloween!
Jennifer Farley says
October 31, 2017 at 6:48 PMI’m making this soup this week!
Natasha says
October 31, 2017 at 6:51 PMHope you enjoy it, Jennifer! ๐
Matt Robinson says
November 1, 2017 at 9:11 AMAfter all the candy I ate last night, and with the weather finally cooling down, I’ve gotta make this!
Natasha says
November 1, 2017 at 9:11 AMThanks, Matt!! It definitely will make you feel a little healthier hehe.
Catherine says
November 4, 2017 at 9:52 AMGoing to try this one for sure.
Natasha says
November 4, 2017 at 10:37 AMHope you enjoy it! ๐ Have a great weekend.
Alison says
November 6, 2017 at 10:38 AMHi! 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
November 6, 2017 at 10:40 AMThanks, 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
November 8, 2017 at 8:12 AMLovely recipe, perfect for autumn! Have to try the recipe!
Natasha says
November 8, 2017 at 8:16 AMThank you!! I hope you love it.
Rhonda says
November 8, 2017 at 8:21 AMThis 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
November 8, 2017 at 8:25 AMThat’s great to hear!! So glad everyone enjoyed it, Rhonda. Thanks for leaving a comment! And spring onions and parmesan sound like fabulous additions! ๐
Maura Hodits says
November 12, 2017 at 4:41 PMCan you freeze this with the orzo already in it
Natasha says
November 12, 2017 at 4:54 PMHi Maura! I wouldnโt recommend it (itโll be a little mushy).
Priscilla Skibo says
December 26, 2017 at 6:51 PMCan 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
December 26, 2017 at 8:23 PMI think that it would work cooking it on the stovetop just fine with rotisserie chicken. ๐ Let me know how it goes!
Gina says
January 15, 2018 at 2:32 PMdo you think i could add an extra veggie in this like a potato or mushroom?
Natasha says
January 15, 2018 at 2:35 PMOf 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
October 19, 2018 at 2:40 PMThis 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
October 20, 2018 at 9:49 AMSo pleased you liked it, Lin. Ginger sounds like a great addition!
Joy says
February 28, 2019 at 4:19 PMThank you for the great recipe…so easy and delicious!
Natasha says
March 1, 2019 at 8:04 AMGlad you liked it!