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Bon Appétit

Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup

4.2

(400)

lemon chicken orzo soup
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova

This weeknight chicken soup goes Greek with orzo, lemon juice, and a handful of fresh dill.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    45 minutes

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

1

tablespoon olive oil

1

medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick

1

celery stalk, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick

12

ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs

6

cups low-sodium chicken broth

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1

/2 cup orzo

1

/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Lemon halves (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leek and celery and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, 5-8 minutes. Add chicken and broth; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let cool, then shred chicken into bite-size pieces.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, return broth to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes.

    Step 3

    Remove pot from heat. Stir in chicken and dill. Serve with lemon halves for squeezing over.

Nutrition Per Serving

4 servings
1 serving contains: Calories (kcal) 200 Fat (g) 7 Saturated Fat (g) 1.5 Cholesterol (mg) 80 Carbohydrates (g) 10 Dietary Fiber (g) 1 Total Sugars (g) 3 Protein (g) 21 Sodium (mg) 1110
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Reviews (400)

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  • Delicious easy dinner. My husband loved it. Added a little extra chicken and would add more orzo next time. Maybe a cup?

    • Anonymous

    • Walla Walla, WA

    • 12/2/2022

  • This was delicious! I added onion and garlic which became beautifully sweet instead of celery and used homemade chicken stock and it turned out perfect - it made a filling dinner for two of us and with enough leftovers for us both the next day. The lemon and dill is an excellent pairing, I would make it the same again.

    • A

    • Japan

    • 8/28/2022

  • Love love this soup. Lemon and dill are perfect. So good for luncj.

    • Jordan

    • Miami

    • 3/5/2022

  • I love this soup. It’s amazingly tasty considering the short ingredient list. Our son has extreme GI issues and this soup is well tolerated.

    • Kat

    • Flyover USA

    • 2/25/2022

  • Pretty good, I liked this soup. Not super memorable, but a nice way to use leftover chicken. Pretty easy to make too.

    • Anonymous

    • 1/19/2022

  • This has become my favorite soup and I have been making it at least twice a week since I had coronavirus. I couldn’t taste anything or smell anything either, but the chicken broth was hot and salty and the lemon was like Heaven, now that I have my smell and taste, it’s even better, the fresh dill, is key I don’t add any celery, and it doesn’t miss it. I have gotten my daughter and my sister hooked on this soup also- this is the best recipe I’ve had-

    • Kelly Heck

    • St. Simons Island, GA

    • 9/24/2021

  • Great easy quick soup!

    • Gregg C.

    • San Francisco, CA

    • 8/19/2021