This lemon chicken orzo soup is inspired by Panera Bread's version. It is so flavorful with tender pieces of chicken in a lemony broth with orzo pasta, carrots, onions, celery, and baby spinach. This has quickly become one of my family's very favorite soup recipes.
Ingredients
- orzo pasta: 8 ounces
- olive oil: 1 tsp
- carrots: 3 medium (chopped, to taste)
- celery: 3 ribs (chopped)
- onion: 1 medium (chopped)
- garlic: 2 clove (minced)
- thyme: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- oregano: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- salt and ground black pepper: 0 piece (to taste)
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth: 3 cartons (32 ounce cartons)
- lemon juice: 0.5 cup (fresh)
- lemon, zested: 1 piece
- chicken breast: 8 ounces (chopped, cooked)
- baby spinach leaves: 1 pack (8 ounce pack)
- lemon: 1 piece (sliced; for garnish, optional)
- Parmesan cheese: 0.25 cup (grated, optional)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in orzo and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered until partially cooked through but not yet soft, about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water until cooled completely.
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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften and onion becomes translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Season mixture with thyme, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper; continue cooking another 30 seconds before pouring chicken broth into the pot.
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Bring broth to a boil. Partially cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.
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Stir orzo, lemon juice, and lemon zest into broth; add chicken. Cook until chicken and orzo are heated through, about 5 minutes. Add baby spinach; cook until spinach wilts into broth and orzo is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese.
