Lemon chicken orzo soup. So for almost a week straight, when I’ve woken up in the morning it’s been in the single digits or below zero! Now it gets cold in Baltimore, but usually not this cold for this long. Well like many people, during this time of year soup is our meal of choice many nights, but what makes this lemon chicken orzo soup great, is it’s also a good option if you’re aren’t feeling the best either. As you can see, there are a few ingredients from this immune boosting food list.
As I mentioned above, what do you do when it’s cold out? You make soup and when you’re done with one soup recipe, you make another soup recipe! So I’m apologizing ahead of time if I have a lot of soup recipes in the coming months. Just blame it on the weather!
Today I’m sharing a lemon chicken orzo soup, which is great for cold days but even better if you have a cold yourself! Plus since January is all about being healthy, this one fits the bill as well. Enjoy!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook on both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Heat remaining tbsp olive oil and butter over medium heat and add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and thyme and cook for another minute.
- Add chicken stock and bay leaves and bring to boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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