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.
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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.
Nutrition Facts
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Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
We absolutely LOVED this soup. The lemon and the dill make it more interesting than “just” classic chicken soup, but super easy to throw together on a weeknight. We almost always have these ingredients on hand. Thanks for the great recipe! Even my one year old ate his whole bowl (high praise!)!
That’s great! So glad to hear it was a hit for the entire family. – Nicole
Could I add uncooked, chopped chicken breast to the soup and cook with the orzo? Or cook with the veggies at the beginning?
Hi. For this quick, 20-minute soup recipe, we would recommend sticking with cooked chicken. – Nicole
Can you substitute with the whole-wheat orzo pasta with organic egg noodles?
That should work, but we use the whole-wheat orzo in order to keep it within our Real Food Rules. – Nicole
Absolutely yummy!! Our whole family liked it. Even added an extra cup of spinach. Will be making another batch to freeze.
This soup is delicious! I also wanted to comment on your Rice pilaf with orzo from your cookbook. I made it last night and oh my!! I felt as though I was eating orzo from a fancy restaurant, it was absolutely delicious! My family loved it and between the four of us we ate the whole batch. Thank you for all of your incredible recipes, we have all three cookbooks and we are making our way through making everything. Today I am making your slow cooker flank steak fajitas- cant wait to try them, they already smell
Delicious!
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!
My whole family really liked it! I had to add a few more cups of broth to make it “soupy”.