As some of you may remember from my previous posts, I LOVE soup. Lots of different types of soup, for sure. I especially love soup in the winter and fall, think Copycat Tortilla Soup, but other soups are quite tasty even in the spring and summer. My Chicken Orzo Soup with Lemon is one of those all-year long kind of soups!

In lieu of my recent heart attack, I’m working to make changes to my diet to ensure I’m eating a little healthier than before. Truth be told, I don’t think I ever really ate horribly, but I am attempting to do better and definitely trying to watch the sodium in my life – because it’s EVERYWHERE! And, at 51, I’m not quite ready to call it quits just yet

Luckily, I’ve been making my Chicken Orzo Soup with Lemon for a while now and it was pretty easy to make a couple quick tweaks for an even healthier meal.

I used to visit a since defunct restaurant that served the most amazing Avgolemono soup! It was sooooo good I could have eaten it by the bucketful! Mine certainly doesn’t quite measure up to that wonderful delight, but it’s pretty tasty if I do say so myself!

If you’re a chicken noodle soup fan, you’ll probably enjoy the Chicken Orzo Soup with Lemon. It’s quite similar in taste and texture with the main difference being the addition of lemon, which adds just the right amount of bright, tangy and citrusy goodness to this amazing soup.

What’s even better is that it only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, making this the perfect weeknight meal! This one is so easy it might just make it’s way into your menu rotation!

SAUTE IT UP

Saute the carrots, celery and onion in butter and oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and stir for another 30 seconds. Add in flour and mix for an additional minute.

BROTH IT UP

Add in the chicken broth and Italian seasoning. Next, add in chicken breasts, bring to boil and cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

PASTA IT UP

Add in the orzo pasta and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes. If you’re not familiar with orzo, it’s really tiny little pasta that almost looks like grains of rice! I love using it in soups and the like due to its dainty little size.

CHICKEN IT UP

Remove chicken and check temperature (should be 165⁰), dice chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to pot.

LEMON IT UP

Mix in fresh lemon juice to taste. I LOVE lemon, so I tend to add quite a bit, but that’s just me! My family isn’t as into the lemon flavor as I am, so….I’ll often add more to my individual bowl before serving! Happy family, happy Lori

TIPS & TRICKS

• If you don’t have chicken breasts on hand, feel free to use thighs or even a rotisserie chicken you’ve picked up at the local grocery store. For the rotisserie chicken, add it in at the last minute just to warm up.
• If you do happen to have leftovers, be sure to add in additional chicken broth before warming up, as the orzo soaks up A LOT of the broth.

I sure hope you’ll give my Chicken Orzo Soup with Lemon a try! If you’re anything like me, you love those quick and easy weeknight meals to feed the family and this one definitely fits the bill. I’m perfectly content with a bowl of soup and some crackers on their own, but my boys often like to add a quick sammy to the mix.

Be sure to let me know what you think and if you love it as much as I do!

Chicken Orzo Soup with Lemon

This light, refreshing and healthy soup is quick, easy and perfect for a weeknight meal.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: greek

Keyword: chicken orzo soup with lemon, chicken soup, soup, orzo soup with lemon

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Equipment

• 1 large stockpot

Ingredients

• 2 ea carrots, finely chopped you could also substitute about a cup of pre-shredded carrots
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 ea onion, medium
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1.5 lbs uncooked chicken breasts
• 1 cup orzo, uncooked
• 2 tbsp lemon juice to taste
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large stockpot, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat.
• Saute the carrots, celery and onion for approximately 5 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook for an additional minute or so.
• Mix in chicken broth and Italian seasoning.
• Add chicken breasts to mixture and bring to boil.
• Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
• Mix in the orzo and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the pot, check temperature (should be 165°) and cut up chicken. Add back to pot and mix in lemon juice.
• Finish with salt and pepper and serve immediately

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see!Share a photo and mention @quitesimplyus or tag #quitesimplyus!

The post Chicken Orzo Soup with Lemon appeared first on Quite Simply Us.

I’m perfectly content to make a full meal out of a bowl of soup, whether it’s this copycat tortilla soup or my chicken orzo soup with lemon, but the boys in the family typically like to toss a sandwich (whatever is on hand) alongside theirs. They need a little more substance, to hear them tell it! If you’re like my guys, you could certainly toss a sammy or even a quick quesadilla alongside your bowl tasty soup for a more complete meal.

All in all, it takes roughly an hour and a half to pull together. I kind of call this a pour and go recipe, for the most part. If you can open some cans and stir, you’ve pretty much got this one licked.

THE FIRST POUR

Combine all 4 cans of soup in a large saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth. As an aside, I know it seems extremely odd to add Cream of Mushroom soup to this recipe, but I promise you it works and you’ll never know that the mushrooms are in there. I haven’t done it, but if you are TOTALLY against it, you might try an additional can of Cream of Chicken or even Cream of Celery as a substitute.

THE SECOND POUR

Add in the chicken broth, salsa, green chilies, Rotel tomatoes, garlic, onion powder and cayenne pepper and mix to combine. Bring mixture to a boil and continue stirring to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour. When it comes to the cayenne, I typically don’t measure. I add a bit of seasoning and continue sprinkling more in throughout the cooking process, as needed. Again, we tend to like things a little spicier in this family, so add yours as you see fit for your own family.

See how easy so far? Dump and stir!

THE THIRD POUR

Add pre-cooked chicken to the soup and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Whatever type of chicken you have available is fine – rotisserie, pre-cooked breasts or thighs or even canned, if you’re so inclined. Drain first, though, please!

COPYCAT TORTILLA SOUP – SERVE IT UP

Ladle soup into individual bowls and top with a handful of shredded cheese (this IS needed) and deep friend tortilla strips. I always top mine with a little black pepper, too.

My copycat tortilla soup recipe is another one of those that’s ideal for a quick weeknight meal. Get it on the stove and simmering as soon as you get home from work and go about your business – ya know, laundry, cleaning, dusting, sweeping – the fun stuff Pop back in an hour or so and add in the chicken and let simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Those weeknight meals are all about recipes that don’t require a ton of effort and this definitely fits the bill.

If you’re a fan of Max & Erma’s tortilla soup, I highly recommend you give this one a try. No, it’s not identical, but it’s a pretty good facsimile. We’ve got plenty of winter weather headed our way, so keep this one in your back pocket…errr…recipe box!

Until next time, bon apetit! And enjoy the soup!

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Tortilla Soup

This tasty tortilla soup is similar to that much loved one over at Max & Erma's!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword soup, tortilla soup

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Lori Wallace-Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cheddar soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 21/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 coup salsa
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 ea garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz cooked chicken, diced or shredded
• 8 oz cheddar jack cheese, shredded
• tortilla strips
• black pepper, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Combine all 4 cans of soup in a large saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth.
• Mix in the chicken broth, Rotel tomatoes, green chilies, salsa, garlic, onion powder and cayenne pepper.
• Bring mixture to a boil and continue stirring to keep it from sticking.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour.
• Mix in the chicken breast and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
• While soup is simmering, slice up some fresh tortillas and deep fry in a few inches of oil for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towel.
• Assemble individual servings. Ladle soup into bowl and top with a handful of cheese, along with deep fried tortilla chips for crunch.

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