Lemon chicken orzo soup
55 min · 33 g protein · 323 cals / serving
A bright, brothy bowl for the coldest weeks: tender chicken, carrots and celery and little pasta in a lemony broth, with a big handful of spinach and a lot of fresh dill. A spoon of flour in the vegetables gives the broth just enough body to cling to the orzo.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3/4 tsp salt, adjust to your broth
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 7 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, whole breasts
- 1 scant cup orzo pasta
- 3 packed cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, from 1–2 lemons
- 1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped, plus more to serve
Steps
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, basil, salt and pepper and cook, stirring now and then, for 8 minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle over the flour and stir for a minute so it coats the vegetables, then pour in the broth a little at a time, stirring, and bring to a simmer.
- Lower the chicken breasts into the pot and keep it at a gentle simmer (small bubbles, never a hard boil) for 12–15 minutes, until the thickest part reads 165°F. Lift the chicken onto a board, let it rest 5 minutes, then shred or dice it.
- Bring the broth back to a simmer, add the orzo and cook 7–8 minutes, stirring now and then so it does not stick, until just al dente; it keeps softening in the hot broth.
- Return the chicken, then stir in the spinach, lemon juice, zest and dill and simmer 2–3 minutes, until the spinach wilts. Taste for salt and lemon, and serve with more dill on top.
Good to know
Why does my leftover soup turn into stew?
Orzo keeps drinking the broth as it sits. Loosen leftovers with a splash of broth or water when you reheat, or cook the orzo separately and add it to each bowl if you are making the soup ahead.
Can I use leftover or rotisserie chicken?
Yes. Skip step 3 and stir in about 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken with the spinach; simmer just long enough to heat it through.
More chicken, less pasta?
Use 2 lb of chicken and two thirds of the orzo. The soup gets meatier and a little brothier, at about 82 instead of 79.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 67
- Protein
- (43%)
- 7 g
- Fat
- (20%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (37%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 309 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1938 kcal goes into the pot and 3178 g of ingredients comes out as about 2900 g of food: 67 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.