WHERE is winter??? Seriously?! We've had no snow yet this year in Seattle and I feel like we've already missed our chance. Just tons of misting rain. Maybe we'll get a freezing February or something. In the meantime, I'm just going to keep making all the soups as if it's below freezing outside (we've been hovering around 50 for weeks now). Say hey to my new lemon chicken orzo soup!
This soup has the same great flavors as a traditional chicken noodle, with a couple fun, tasty twists.
First, lemon juice. Obviously. Chicken with lemon and herbs is always a delicious meal so why not add it to soup?? I use about ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe. However, if you want it tarter or just more lemony flavor, feel free to add more! Just do a little bit at a time so you don't end up with ALL the tart taste in your soup (gross).
Second, orzo. Orzo is actually pasta, just like the noodles in a traditional bowl of chicken noodle soup, but it's short cut and looks like large grain rice. It's great for soups because it cooks up in the pot in under 10 minutes and fits perfectly on your spoon!
Oh also this recipe is dairy-free, filled with veggies and tons of protein so lemon chicken orzo soup is a solid win for healthy January! Grab a spoon and enjoy 😁.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Description
Healthy one pot dinner recipe bursting with lemon flavor and chock full of protein and veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine or white wine vinegar
- 2 carrots, quartered and diced
- 2 celery ribs, halved and diced
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup orzo
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (more as desired)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped for garnish
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of each thigh liberally with salt and black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large stew pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes until golden brown on bottom, remove lid and flip chicken thighs over. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, covered with lid, again until golden brown and cooked through (temperature reaches 165˚F). Remove to a bowl, shred with two forks, and set aside.
- Drain excess fat out of pan, and when back on heat, pour half of the wine into the pan. Deglaze the pan by scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan (keeping it in the pan!).
- If necessary, add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Saute onion, carrot and celery in pan over medium high heat and until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan again with the rest of the white wine (or white wine vinegar), scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the shredded chicken, orzo, chicken broth, thyme, rosemary, and sage to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until orzo is tender.
- Remove lid stir in spinach and lemon juice and let simmer 1-2 minutes, until spinach is somewhat wilted.
- Remove the pot from heat. Add salt, pepper, and anymore lemon juice to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
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