This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is light, healthy, and cozy. It uses wholesome everyday ingredients and is sure to become a family favorite!
Orzo is that tiny rice-shaped pasta. It looks like rice but cooks really fast, so you get that rice effect in less time. I don't cook with it too often, but I always enjoy it. I mean you can't really go wrong with pasta. Except for bowtie pasta, but that's a story for another day. 😉
Love lemon chicken? Try my Easy Creamy Lemon Chicken or this Lemon Chicken Orzo (One Pot Pasta).
This lemon chicken soup with orzo is simple to make. You just sauté the onions, carrots, and celery, stir in the garlic and flour, add the broth, seasoning, and chicken, and cook it for 15 minutes. By that point the chicken is getting cooked, and you can add in the orzo and cook it for another 10 minutes or so until the pasta is done. You take the chicken out and shred/cut it up, add it back to the soup, and then it's time to add the lemon juice, parsley, and salt & pepper.
Recipe notes & tips:
- You can substitute the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer.
- If you want to make this with already cooked/rotisserie chicken, I suggest adding the chicken in at the same time as the orzo so you don't overcook it.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if you have concerns with salt.
- You may need to add more chicken broth to leftovers as the orzo soaks it up. This soup can be frozen, but the orzo does get a bit puffy. If you want to freeze the whole batch, I recommend adding the orzo in after you thaw it.
- If you really want a more intense pop of lemon in here, I suggest grating in some lemon zest. I love my Microplane zester/grater for that purpose.
- Want to make this soup in your slow cooker? Try my Crockpot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup.
More delicious chicken soup recipes:
Questions about this soup? Leave me a comment below, and tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you've made it.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1.5 pounds uncooked chicken breasts
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the celery, carrots, and onions in a large soup pot with the butter and oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the flour and cook for another minute or so.
- Pour in chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved, then add the Italian seasoning and chicken. Bring the soup to a boil.
- Cover the soup (lid slightly ajar), and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the orzo and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through. I keep the lid off and stir it fairly often because it tends to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up, then add it back in. Add the lemon juice (you may want to add more than I suggest - I didn't want to make the soup too lemony for some people), parsley, and season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can sub the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Chicken is safe to eat at 165F and can go from undercooked to overcooked quickly, so I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer whenever cooking chicken so you're not guessing.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if you're sensitive to salt.
- You may need to add more chicken broth to leftovers as the orzo soaks it up.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Lori says
I just made this today. I Only changed it up by adding extra lemon juice. This is very simple and delicious! Thank You!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you liked it!!! 😀
Laura says
My family loved this soup. I have to double it the next time. Thank you for sharing!!
Natasha says
You're very welcome, Laura!
Barb says
Make this every couple of weeks!! I add lots of lemon juice and zest!! This is an awesome recipe❤️
Natasha says
I'm thrilled to hear that!! 🙂 Thanks, Barb!
Trynia says
I made this for my sister when she had surgery and added kale just to add some green and it was super delicious!! Planning on making this again tonight the same way and adding mushrooms as well!
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit! 🙂 Hope your sister is all recovered.
Nancy Garcia says
This is absolutely divine!! I love this soup so much and so has everyone I’ve shared it with. It’s quick, easy and usually have everything I need on hand to whip it up for a quick delicious dinner. I add more lemon but otherwise i followed this to fidelity. Make this soup! You’ll be so glad you did!!
Natasha says
That's great to hear, Nancy!! Thank you for taking the time to write me a review, and I appreciate you sharing the recipe with others. 🙂
Michelle Darnell says
Never thought I’d like a soup with lemon, but this was amazing! I added about a half cup of heavy cream to make it creamy and it was to die for! Added more lemon too. I love that I can just throw uncooked orzo and chicken breasts in the pot! Great recipe!
Natasha says
I'm glad you liked it! 🙂
Liv says
Are we able to use basamati rice instead of orzo?
Natasha says
Hi Liv! You could try, but orzo is pasta so cooks at a different rate than rice. You could try but I'd be mindful it may take longer and you may need to add a bit more liquid if you notice the broth is reducing too much.
Shanda says
My whole family loved this recipe. My 5 year old can be a bit picky at times, and she literally was licking her bowl clean! It was a huge hit in our home! Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Natasha says
Aww I love that!! 😀 You're very welcome!
Kelly says
Amazing easy soup! I would have never thought lemon in soup could be good. I like this better than the traditional chicken noodle soup. It cleans out your sinuses and just tastes and smells like a healing soup. I used rotisserie chicken. Of course I had to add my own spin on it, a lot of extra lemon to taste, 1/2 cup extra orzo, whole onion and double garlic. I also added some celery salt. Loved it!
Natasha says
Thank you so much! glad you enjoyed it.
TD in NC says
This was fantastic! Only change I made was to add a bit of chopped spinach and halved the amount of orzo. Thank you for sharing.
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! 🙂
Marissa says
Love the flavors in this & the fact that it’s a one pot meal! Even easier when I remember to prep the veggies the night before and can throw it all in after work. Delicious meal!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Donna Elizabeth Gray-King says
Instead of Italian seasoning I used Penzey’s Greek seasoning and extra lemon! Delicious!
Natasha says
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed!
Kendra says
I made this n a Monday night full of sports practices and things I just had in my kitchen and my family of 3 kids and 1 big kid(husband) LOVED!!! Thank you for this!!! Made it all in my instant pot (BUT JUST ON Sauté!!!!) bic I doubled the recipe for my kids (three growing boys) and I used chicken thighs(sooo good)!! New favorite go to. THANK YOU
Natasha says
Yay!! You're welcome! 🙂
Lynsey says
So good! It has become one of the keeper recipes!! I like adding more lemon!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! 😀 Thanks for your review, Lynsey!
Lisa Price says
Love this recipe! Awesome for when My allergies are acting up! Thank you Father for all the wholesome foods You provide for us🙌🏻❤️
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Susan says
This soup was wonderful. Will be making again. I added more lemon .
Natasha says
I'm so glad to hear it! 🙂
Shari says
This is sooo good. Love it. Third time making it. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. Haven't had one I did not love.
Natasha says
That's so nice to hear!! 🙂 I'm so happy you're enjoying my recipes! Thanks for letting me know, Shari!
Holly says
This is one of my all time favorite soup recipes! I share it with everyone. I also add a can of cream of chicken soup for a little more creaminess. I just recently started cutting calories and the serving calories are perfect, my question is, how much is a serving size? Thank you!!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you like this recipe! So, it's whatever 1/6 of the recipe works out to... I am not a trained nutritionist (or good at math lol), so I am unsure of what that works to in oz/grams/etc.
margaret schmelzer says
Absolutely delicious!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!!
Suzie says
Tried to post a photo of heating up this soup on a gas stove in the bottom of a drift boat while fishing on a cold & windy day on the Missouri River in Montana. It saved the day!
I’ve made this soup many times and really enjoy it.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you like it, Suzie!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Michelle Casselberry says
Was trying to decide a supper dish for this evening and this was one I had saved in my favs to try…. The Hubs is always game for trying new recipes and he even goes by the store on his way home from
Work and gets things needed…. This was really good and we have a few leftovers and I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow…. I always like things like this better after it marries overnight…. I did add more orzo and the juice of two lemons (go big or go home) and more garlic, hubs loves the garlic!! He liked it as well went back for seconds and made a bowl for his lunch… mind you the flavor is on the light side but we enjoyed the change…. He said it was a keeper! Thanks for sharing!!!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
You're welcome, Michelle! I love extra lemon too! Thank you so much for your detailed review 🙂
KG says
This was very good and super easy to make. My husband even took the leftovers to work and he usually never does that! He kept saying it was REALLY good 😊 would def make again!
Natasha says
That's so nice to hear!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know!
Jordan says
First off - LOVE this recipe. Quick and easy.
The author is aware that the lemon dose might be too low and I couldn't agree more. Just for comparison I add about 0.5-1 cup of lemon and my family loves it. They think it's nicely balanced against the rest of the ingredients - though honestly I could do with more.
Natasha says
Thank you, Jordan! I put the note on the lemon quantity since everyone has different tastes and it's easy to add lemon but you can't subtract it. I definitely prefer it a bit more lemony myself. 🙂
Donna says
I had some homemade stock so I was looking for a good chicken orzo soup. This was fantastic! I did add more Italian seasoning than called for (and it was a wedding favor from an Italian wedding we attended, so I really have no idea exactly what was in it) and doubled the lemon juice because we like things lemony. My family loved it!
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit, Donna!! Thanks for your 5-star review.
Cynthia Sweeney says
Love this recipe. Used rotisserie chicken and made a few spice modifications as I have fresh rosemary, and lemons. It is so good. No salt added. Hubby said it is delicious.
Natasha says
Awesome!!! 🙂
Kaitlin says
I made this soup a month or 2 ago and my boyfriend loved it. The lemon *chefs kiss*
I made a roast chicken last night and I will be making this soup with the leftovers.
Natasha says
That makes me so happy, Kaitlin! Thanks for letting me know!! 😀
Carrie says
10/10 soup. I added way more Italian seasoning (blend from scratch) than recipe calls for and it made it super flavorful yet still very simple and elegant. Will definitely be making this again
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Love that you make your Italian seasoning from scratch!
Shannon says
This was absolutely delicious! I added some cauliflower rice and used a little less orzo to save some calories...so so tasty!
Natasha says
Fantastic!
Kal says
Simply incredible. The punch of acid from the lemon at the end elevates this classic dish. It also reheats beautifully with a touch of chicken broth the next day to reinvigorate the soup. This will be my new “Chicken Noodle Soup” recipe. 10/10 — game changer.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's wonderful to hear, Kal! We're thrilled you liked the soup so much!
Michelle says
Easy and fantastic recipe!
Natasha says
Thanks so much!!
Wen says
One of, if not THE best soups I've ever made. I used the juice of 3 lemons and zest (I LOVE lemon), used chicken thighs, added peas and used extra fresh parsley. SO delicious. Will definitely be making it again
Natasha says
That's great to hear!! 🙂 Thank you!!
Lisa Levin says
I made this for me and Hubby. I've had this in restaurants but he had not. I cannot begin to tell you how much we loved it!! My hubby said thru 2 bowls "Wow" He, of course, loved the fresh lemon squeezed for the finish. I took a pic abd shared this on Facebook!!! Thank you!!
Natasha says
Aww that's so nice to hear!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know, Lisa!
Sue says
I just made this soup and I will have to say it taste amazing so good throughly enjoyed it … Will make again I pinned it to my board….😊
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thank you, Sue!