This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is light, healthy, and cozy. It uses wholesome everyday ingredients and is sure to become a family favorite!
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT40M
Total time: PT50M
Rating
4.93 stars (812 reviews)
Keywords
lemon chicken orzo soup, lemon chicken soup with orzo
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 fresh parsley (or to taste)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Categories
Soup
Cuisine
American
Greek
Steps
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 the 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 open), 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.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 298 kcal
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Protein: 29 g
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 78 mg
Sodium: 1036 mg
Sugar: 2 g
Reviews
Jana on 2026-06-07 (5 stars): Love this recipe! We usually increase the chicken broth to make it soupier, and also increase the lemon juice and add lemon zest. Delicious!
Michele on 2026-06-06 (5 stars): This is quick, simple and delicious soup. To cut down on time I use a store bought rotisserie chicken. I first sautéed the onions, carrots, and celery. Then added the garlic, flour, seasoning. Poured in the chicken stock and let it come to a boil. Add the orzo. Once the orzo was cooked (approximately 10 mins) add in the shredded chicken and lemon. This help to prevent the chicken from getting dry from being cooked a second time. I did increase the lemon to 1/4 cups and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will definitely make this again.
Holly Schramm on 2026-06-01 (5 stars): Love this soup! Such a bright pop on the traditional chicken noodle soup!
Jody J on 2026-05-27 (5 stars): Made this for a group tonight, and the pot was scraped clean! I made a couple of changes just because of what I had on hand—used some leftover oniony rice instead of orzo and a lot of fresh chopped spinach. Just added those right before serving, and it was a hit!
Deb Fisher on 2026-05-19 (5 stars): We found it on line and made today..us and I both loved it..Will make against again. Changed nothing.
