I’ve got one of the easiest soup recipes for you today…Chicken and Orzo Soup. Not only is this one super hearty, but it contains veggies—bonus! So, it can easily be a one-dish dinner that leaves you with only a cutting board, knife, and pot to clean—exactly what we all need this time of year.
Plus, I have a tip for you. If you make the chicken in your slow cooker the day before, you can also make Overnight Chicken Stock in there to use in the soup as well. Not only will it taste SO much better than store-bought broth, but it will save you money and be better for you. What more could you ask for this holiday season? Haha! Well, probably more than just that, but STILL. Not bad, right? I think I’ll double this recipe next time I make it so that I can stash some away in the freezer.
I’ve been wanting a new soup recipe to add to my repertoire for some time now and this one exceeded my expectations! Enjoy.
Quick Chicken & Orzo Soup
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, minced
- 5 carrots, peeled, trimmed, and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, double if you like a little kick
- 6 cups chicken stock/broth
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat orzo pasta, uncooked
- 3 cups shredded/chopped cooked chicken, I used The Best Whole Chicken in a Crockpot, but you could also sub rotisserie
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and the carrots (while stirring) until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the red pepper, and cook for another minute.
-
Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes.
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Stir in the chicken, spinach, cream, lemon juice, salt, and dill, and simmer until heated all the way through. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
Great chicken recipe for this - Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Quick question: the kid is lactose intolerant but loves chicken noodle soup. What can be substituted for the heavy cream?
I was thinking the same and wondering how coconut milk would be?
I am not a chef at all, but one of my children and I can’t do dairy. We have experimented over the years. We have found that for such a small amount in a recipe that most times we can leave it out and be ok. We have used a little bit of corn starch to thicken it up a little and have also used coconut milk coffee creamer. I know it sounds weird, but as long as it’s not flavored it has worked well for us since it’s thicker. Again, this has been our personal experience.
I agree with the other post. You can probably leave out the heavy cream and it will still be amazing. Sometimes to thicken up a soup I add some mashed cannelloni beans though.
You can just leave it out!
Barring nut allergies, 1/2 cup unsalted cashews-ground into a flour, makes for a nice thickener. It gives that creamy texture, without adding cream. Solves the dairy issue, and adds protein, too!
Hi Lisa, can you leave out the heavy cream?
This was delicious! I left out the heavy cream, but totally by accident!! (I even bought some at the store specifically for this recipe lol.) It still turned out great!
Absolutely!
I made this soup over the weekend. It is fantastic! And I love how easy it is.
I’m so glad!
Hi, my husband is lactose intolerant and for these types of recipes I use a non-dairy creamer. Publix has a wonderful product and it works well in soups, gravies, etc and coffee!
Excellent recipe, although this took me 1 hr and 10 minutes start to finish, so not exactly a 20 minute soup! All family members enjoyed this recipe immensely. The only thing I may do differently is skip the 1/4 cup of heavy cream as I prefer a clear broth.
Was your chicken not already cooked when you started? Glad you still enjoyed it.
The soup was good, but I would leave out the lemon juice. I didn’t care for that flavor in a chicken soup.
We actually really liked that flavor in there, but easy enough to leave it out!
I wonder how long this would take in the instant pot.. Has anyone given that a shot?
This is so happening either way! <3
Really yummy. I did need to add more chicken broth (8-9 cups instead of 6). Will make again!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I also needed to add another 4 cups of broth on top of the 6 cups, but I also omitted the spinach. This is a great recipe!
I also needed to add another 4 cups of broth on top of the 6 cups, but I also omitted the spinach. This is a great recipe!
My husband was recently under the weather + it’s cold out = this soup is absolute perfection. We also made enough to have leftovers for lunch at school the next day (we are teachers)! So good. #nomnom
Wow! You did an incredible job with this recipe! It’s delicious! My entire family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Does this soup freeze well?
Jennifer, yes it does. -Nicole
My family loved this soup! I’m glad I doubled the recipe! ;)
This was delicious!! I didn’t have dill but had everything else and it was perfect for the freezing weather today in Chicago!
My whole family really liked it! I had to add a few more cups of broth to make it “soupy”.
Just made this tonight and my 4 littles devoured it!! Asked for seconds and thirds! Omitted the fresh dill but left everything else as is!! Yum!