Light and healthy soup with a touch of lemon flavor.
Reminds me of the soup served at a local Greek restaurant.
You may need to add a little more chicken broth when reheating
because the orzo will soak up a lot of the broth.
- 1-1/2 lbs. uncooked skinless chicken breasts (or combo of thighs and breasts)
- 2 sticks celery chopped fine
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 Tbls. butter
- 1 Tbls. olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbls. white flour
- 1/4 t. Italian seasoning
- 6 c. (48 oz.) chicken stock or broth (Kitchen Basics)
- 2/3 to 3/4 c. uncooked orzo - see Notes
- 1-2 Tbls. lemon juice, to taste
- 1 Tbls. chopped parsley or to taste (1 t. dry)
- salt & pepper to taste
Pre-cook chicken breasts: Season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Transfer to a shallow baking dish, cover and bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees or until done and juices run clear. Let cool for about 15 minutes then break apart and shred. Refrigerate until ready to add to soup. You can do this step up to a day ahead if you’d like.
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; add the flour and Italian seasoning and cook for another minute or so.
Pour in chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved. Bring the soup to a boil.
Cover the soup (lid slightly ajar), and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the uncooked orzo pasta, add pre-cooked chicken and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through. Keep the lid off and stir fairly often because orzo tends to stick to the bottom of the pot (if using pre-cooked orzo, still heat for another 10 minutes to warm the chicken throughout).
Add the lemon juice, parsley, and season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately.