Description
A comforting and flavorful Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup featuring tender chicken breasts, fresh vegetables, and nutritious kale, all simmered in a zesty lemon-infused broth. Perfect for a cozy weeknight meal, this one-pot soup is easy to make and packed with wholesome ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1 cup carrots (chopped)
- 1 cup celery (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1.5 lbs uncooked chicken breasts
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Pasta and Greens
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
- 4 cups kale leaves (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Heat and sauté vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, celery, and carrots and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds to release its aroma.
- Add broth and chicken: Stir in the chicken broth, whole chicken breasts, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer gently for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Cook orzo: Add the uncooked orzo pasta to the simmering soup and cook for 10 more minutes until the orzo is al dente and the chicken is tender enough to shred.
- Shred chicken and add final ingredients: Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the pot, shred or chop them, then return the chicken to the soup. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice along with the roughly chopped kale leaves. Mix well to combine and allow the kale to wilt.
- Season and serve: Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot for a nourishing, flavorful meal.
Notes
- For extra flavor, use homemade chicken broth or low-sodium broth to control salt levels.
- Substitute kale with spinach or Swiss chard if preferred.
- Orzo cooks quickly; avoid overcooking to prevent mushy pasta.
- Leftover soup stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- For a vegetarian version, replace chicken with chickpeas and use vegetable broth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 232 kcal
- Sugar: 2.9 g
- Sodium: 466 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 64 mg
