RecipeLemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
- Calories: 120
- Protein: 14 g
- Total Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 10 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1 g
- Total Sugar: 2 g
- Natural Sugar: 2 g
- Added Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 440 mg
This recipe is addictively flavorful, creamy, and totally hits the spot. It’s the perfect remedy for a pesky winter cold, thanks to its citrusy lemon and soothing warm temperature. Bonus: This simple dish is ready in 30 minutes. Soups on!
- Prep time
- Total Time
- • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- • 4 medium carrots, diced into coins (about 2 cups)
- • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- • 3 cloves garlic, minced
- • 1½ teaspoons lemon zest
- • 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- • 1 cup whole-grain orzo (or any small whole-grain pasta)
- • 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour/starch
- • ¼ cup lemon juice
- • 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken*
- • ¼ to ½ cup roughly chopped fresh dill, optional
*You can use rotisserie chicken or any leftover cooked chicken and shred by hand.
Liberally coat a large pot with olive oil spray and warm over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 9 minutes, until the veggies are softened. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for another minute. Stir often to prevent the garlic from burning.
Next, add the chicken broth to the pot, increase the heat to high, and bring the soup to a boil. Add the orzo, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 6 minutes or until the orzo reaches al dente. Meanwhile, make the arrowroot slurry by adding the arrowroot and lemon juice to a small bowl, and whisking until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
Once the orzo is cooked, add the shredded chicken and arrowroot-lemon juice slurry to the pot and mix everything together. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the soup to thicken. Add additional salt, pepper and fresh dill, if desired, and serve hot.
Nutrition provided for 1 cup; adjust math accordingly for larger portions.
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