Lemon Orzo Soup with Chicken
A lighter, brighter take on chicken soup with tiny orzo pasta and a generous squeeze of lemon. This is the soup that fixes everything.
Soups & Stews · Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min · Serves 6 · Easy · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 150 g orzo pasta
- 1.5 L chicken stock
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
black pepper
Every culture has their version of chicken soup that fixes you when you are broken. This is mine.
It is inspired by Greek avgolemono — that silky egg-lemon soup — but simplified. Orzo pasta instead of rice because it cooks faster and has this great bite. Shredded chicken, lots of lemon juice stirred in at the end, and fresh dill because dill and lemon are soulmates.
I make a big pot every time someone in the house sniffles, but honestly I make it when nobody is sick too. It is that good.
Pro Tips
- Cook the orzo separately and add it to bowls when serving. If it sits in the broth, it swells and absorbs everything.
- Add the lemon juice OFF heat at the very end. Boiling dulls the fresh lemon flavor.
- Use chicken thighs for the most flavorful, moist shredded chicken.
- This soup gets better overnight as the flavors meld. Make extra.
Serving
Ladle into big bowls, add a generous squeeze of lemon, torn dill, and a crack of black pepper. Crusty bread on the side is mandatory.
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