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Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup, also known as cozy winter soup that’s light and healthy. Caramelized garlic, fresh herbs, lots of lemon, kale, and chicken broth all make for a tasty, warming soup. There’s even some orzo pasta for good measure, because I do believe that every good soup needs carbs. This is quick, easy, and SO DELICIOUS. You can make it on the stove or in the crockpot, either way it’s going to be good. The aroma will fill your home with the cozy smell of homemade chicken soup…that’s heavy on the garlic…and the lemon. So the best kind of chicken soup!
Please tell me that you guys are still very much enjoying soup? Because over here, it’s still very much soup weather, with temperatures dipping into the negatives overnight. Surely soup weather, right?
In all seriousness, over the last few months I’ve been making a new soup recipe every other week. You’d think I might start to get sick of it, or run out of new ideas. But nope, soup is still exciting me. Crossing my fingers you feel the same way.
This is actually a soup I made a few weeks ago over Christmas. I quickly realized that I needed to have a large batch of something continually simmering away on the stove. That way there was always something for people to snack on throughout the day. What better than chicken soup? It’s the perfect thing to warm up to after coming in from outside. And this chicken soup also happened to do wonders for the cold that many family members seemed to have caught. So not only is this soup good, but will also help to fight off your winter cold.
Cool. Cool.
I don’t know if you guys remember this lemon butter chicken and orzo that I made last year. But it was the inspiration behind the making of this soup. I can’t tell you how much I love that skillet chicken. It’s probably one of my more favorite skillet recipes. I even made it the other day on Instagram. It’s so good.
Anyway, I love the flavors of that dish so much that I decided to turn them into a healthy soup. Which is where this recipe comes in.
It’s everything I love so much about that skillet chicken, but in soup form. Plus the addition of caramelized garlic and a little parmesan too…
Just as good, maybe better. Just depends what kind of mood you’re in!
Start out by searing the chicken in some olive oil, then add the garlic to caramelize it. I LOVE cooking the garlic slowly in the oil and allowing it to become soft, fragrant, and golden brown. It takes that garlicy bite out of the garlic and mellows it out, turning it buttery and sweet. Yummm.
Once you’ve finished searing, add all the remaining ingredients and cook until the chicken is cooked through and falling apart. I prefer to use bone-in chicken, as it adds flavor to the broth, buy you can also use boneless.
I flavored the broth with fresh herbs, plenty of lemon, and a little parmesan. It’s perfectly light and almost spring like, but still cozy enough for winter.
For the orzo, I think it’s easiest to boil it outside of the soup. I know a lot of recipes will tell you to just boil the pasta in the soup. But if you have leftovers, the soup with soak up all the broth, which is a major bummer. SO, I boil the pasta separately, and then add it to each bowl of soup. The heat from the broth will warm the pasta, making leftovers great for lunch the next day.
And on the topic of orzo, I am obsessed. Ever since last year when I made the lemon butter chicken and orzo I cannot stop using it in recipes. It’s my favorite…see these stuffed peppers, these lamb meatballs, these scallops, and this grilled zucchini.
Yup. Obsessed.
With plenty of snow in the forecast, I’m thinking it’s time for another round of this soup. It’s been a few weeks since I made it, and writing this post now has me craving a bowl.
I’ll take mine with extra orzo, lemon, and probably a sprinkle of parmesan too. Oh, and a side of crusty bread. Always bread with soup. Always.
Hope you guys enjoy and happy Wednesday!
If you make this lemony garlic chicken and orzo soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 981 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8-12 large cloves of garlic, smashed (use to your taste)
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- kosher salt and pepper
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 parmesan rind, plus grated parmesan, for serving
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill, plus more for serving
- juice of 2 lemons (or to taste)
- 1 pound orzo pasta
Instructions
Stove-Top
- 1. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to low, add the smashed garlic cloves and cook another 3-5 minutes, until golden. Add the carrots, sage, thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes. Add the broth, parmesan rind, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or up to 4-6 hours over low heat. 3. Remove the chicken and shred. Stir the kale, dill, and lemon juice into the soup, cooking another 5 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaf. Stir back in the shredded chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper.4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to packaged directions, until al dente. Drain.5. Divide the orzo among bowls and pour the soup over top. Top each bowl with fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the olive oil, chicken, garlic cloves, carrots, sage, thyme, broth, parmesan rind, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season the salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 4-5 hours. 3. Once done cooking, remove the chicken and shred. Stir the kale, dill, and lemon juice into the soup, cooking another 10 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaf. Stir back in the shredded chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper.4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to packaged directions, until al dente. Drain.5. Divide the orzo among bowls and pour the soup over top. Top each bowl with fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
Instant Pot
- 1. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. 2. Set Instant Pot to sauté and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Stir in the smashed garlic cloves and cook another 3-5 minutes, until golden. Add the carrots, sage, thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the broth, parmesan rind, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. 3. Remove the chicken and shred. 4. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Stir the orzo, kale, dill, and lemon juice, cooking another 8 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaf. Stir back in the shredded chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper.5. Divide the soup among bowls. Top each bowl with fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
This post was originally published on January 16, 2019
Hi Teigehn! I absolutely love this recipe. One note, it doesn’t say when to add in the bay leaf in the stovetop recipe – I assumed when the broth goes in but the recipe might need to be updated!
Thank you so much Kristin! xTieghan
I made this for dinner tonight, and everyone in my house loved it! That never happens!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Katie! xTieghan
Made this last night and it is now my favorite soup!! Made it just how the recipe stated except our chicken was precooked from another night. Absolutely delicious!!!
Thank you so much Sue! xTieghan
This soup is amazing! I cooked it in the instant pot last night – highly recommend!
The only issue I have is that the broth completely absorbed into the orzo/chicken/carrots/etc. – next time I make it should I just add more broth or what would be the best solution?
Hey Marlee,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Did you adjust the recipe at all? You could definitely add more broth next time. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just made this with my Thanksgiving turkey. Boiled the carcass and added the ingredients. My pot was way more than 4/6 servings, so I eyeballed the measurements. Its soooo yummy!!
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Stephanie! Thank you! xTieghan
I know a lot of people here like to comment without trying the recipe just to say the pics look good, but I have made this soup at least 5 times at this point (probably more) and I promise you it is perfect in every way. I used to be scared to sear the chicken on high heat bc my kitchen has no ventilation and my tiny apartment fills up with smoke and it freaks out my cat. To fix this I use regular olive oil instead bc it doesn’t smoke as easily as extra virgin. Then you can get that gorgeous golden charred look without the trauma. You can add a little extra virgin later with the carrots for some more flavor. I also season the chicken with a little chili powder pre-sear bc I like it spicy. I think it’s very necessary to let it cook for a few hours. It really brings out the flavor. And I like to zest the lemons too bc the added citrus really pops against the garlic. All in all, A+ I love this soup more than I could ever say. Thank u so much for blessing me ????
I am really glad you have been loving this soup! Thank you for trying it and leaving a review! xTieghan
New favorite soup recipe, so easy and tasty!
Thank you so much Victoria! So glad you are loving this one! xTieghan
Hi there! Love your recipes by the way- Is this a soup that you can freeze for later? I’m only cooking for 2 so I’m hoping to freeze the leftovers for another time. If so- how long will it last in the freezer?
Thanks!!
HI! Yes, this soup freezes great! Just add the orzo after freezing. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi! Two more questions: How much parm rind do you use and I couldn’t find Tuscan Kale and my local store, is regular kale okay? Thank you!!
Hi Kimberly! Yes, it should work great! Please let me know how this turns out for you! xTieghan
Hi! This sounds delish! Could brown rice be substituted for the orzo? I’m planning on making this in the crock pot, would the rice need to be pre-cooked? Thank you!
Hi! I am sure brown rice will be great. Love that idea! I would dry brown rice since it will be cooking all day. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Omg wow, I love this soup so much. I made it once a few weeks ago and since I’m already making it again it’s only right to comment and tell you how much I love it. I decided to try it with what I had on hand, so I went with spinach instead of kale, omitted the sage and the orzo, and added the juice of an extra lemon just for the hell of it. It was incredible, and I agree that it seems to kick a winter cold. Never in my life have I felt so passionate about soup. Thank you for creating this recipe!
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipe Tessa! I hope you are feeling ok and staying warm! xTieghan
Looking forward to making your Lemony Garlic Chicken and orzo soup today! Our grocery store always labels kale “Kale” should I be concerned about it specifically being “Tuscan kale”? Also in place of kale, could one use spinach? I love your recipes can’t wait to taste! Thank you!
Hi Leah! No need to worry about the variety if kale. Just use what your grocery store carries. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made some quesadillas on the side and yummmm this soup was perfect for our freezing day
Awh sounds so amazing! Thank you for trying this Emily! xTieghan
My boyfriend and I now refer to this as “THE soup.” I’ve made it a few times and it’s amazing every single time !! It’s hearty, healthy, and we love the way the flavors come together- especially with the addition of lemon. Temperatures are dropping into the teens tonight and it’s the only thing we want to have for dinner. 🙂
Hi Kristen! Haha yes!! That is amazing! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
So delicious and comforting! Thank you for sharing. Made it on a rainy day and it was a hit!
Wow yes! So glad you loved this recipe Mandi! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan