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Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup, also known as cozy winter soup that’s light and healthy. Caramelized garlic, fresh herbs, lots of lemon, kale, and chicken broth all make for a tasty, warming soup. There’s even some orzo pasta for good measure, because I do believe that every good soup needs carbs. This is quick, easy, and SO DELICIOUS. You can make it on the stove or in the crockpot, either way it’s going to be good. The aroma will fill your home with the cozy smell of homemade chicken soup…that’s heavy on the garlic…and the lemon. So the best kind of chicken soup!
Please tell me that you guys are still very much enjoying soup? Because over here, it’s still very much soup weather, with temperatures dipping into the negatives overnight. Surely soup weather, right?
In all seriousness, over the last few months I’ve been making a new soup recipe every other week. You’d think I might start to get sick of it, or run out of new ideas. But nope, soup is still exciting me. Crossing my fingers you feel the same way.
This is actually a soup I made a few weeks ago over Christmas. I quickly realized that I needed to have a large batch of something continually simmering away on the stove. That way there was always something for people to snack on throughout the day. What better than chicken soup? It’s the perfect thing to warm up to after coming in from outside. And this chicken soup also happened to do wonders for the cold that many family members seemed to have caught. So not only is this soup good, but will also help to fight off your winter cold.
Cool. Cool.
I don’t know if you guys remember this lemon butter chicken and orzo that I made last year. But it was the inspiration behind the making of this soup. I can’t tell you how much I love that skillet chicken. It’s probably one of my more favorite skillet recipes. I even made it the other day on Instagram. It’s so good.
Anyway, I love the flavors of that dish so much that I decided to turn them into a healthy soup. Which is where this recipe comes in.
It’s everything I love so much about that skillet chicken, but in soup form. Plus the addition of caramelized garlic and a little parmesan too…
Just as good, maybe better. Just depends what kind of mood you’re in!
Start out by searing the chicken in some olive oil, then add the garlic to caramelize it. I LOVE cooking the garlic slowly in the oil and allowing it to become soft, fragrant, and golden brown. It takes that garlicy bite out of the garlic and mellows it out, turning it buttery and sweet. Yummm.
Once you’ve finished searing, add all the remaining ingredients and cook until the chicken is cooked through and falling apart. I prefer to use bone-in chicken, as it adds flavor to the broth, buy you can also use boneless.
I flavored the broth with fresh herbs, plenty of lemon, and a little parmesan. It’s perfectly light and almost spring like, but still cozy enough for winter.
For the orzo, I think it’s easiest to boil it outside of the soup. I know a lot of recipes will tell you to just boil the pasta in the soup. But if you have leftovers, the soup with soak up all the broth, which is a major bummer. SO, I boil the pasta separately, and then add it to each bowl of soup. The heat from the broth will warm the pasta, making leftovers great for lunch the next day.
And on the topic of orzo, I am obsessed. Ever since last year when I made the lemon butter chicken and orzo I cannot stop using it in recipes. It’s my favorite…see these stuffed peppers, these lamb meatballs, these scallops, and this grilled zucchini.
Yup. Obsessed.
With plenty of snow in the forecast, I’m thinking it’s time for another round of this soup. It’s been a few weeks since I made it, and writing this post now has me craving a bowl.
I’ll take mine with extra orzo, lemon, and probably a sprinkle of parmesan too. Oh, and a side of crusty bread. Always bread with soup. Always.
Hope you guys enjoy and happy Wednesday!
If you make this lemony garlic chicken and orzo soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
What if I don’t have rind for Parmesan. Can I just add grated Parmesan?
Hey Mari,
You can just skip the rind. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I just add grated parmesan and it’s perfect!
All I can say is YUM!!!!! This was perfect for our snowy day today.
Hey Jessica,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
I have never found a chicken noodle soup I loved! This one is the best I have ever made! Thank you ?
Hey Erin,
I am so so glad that you liked the recipe, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Hi there! When you make this in the instant pot, do you manually release the pressure or let it come down naturally? Thanks!
Hey Katie,
I like to manually release. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
SOOOOO SO GOOD!
Thanks so much Anne! xTieghan
Perfect night on this cold dreary day. Love lemon in soup and paired with orzo and a hot crusty bread made for the perfect meal
Hey Marie,
Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I am thrilled that you liked it! I hope you have a great week:) xTieghan
I don’t have a parmesan rind or dill on hand. Do you have any suggestions?
Hey Keely,
Skip the parm rind and use another herb that you enjoy. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Love this soup! Lemon and garlic…. need I say more? Perfect for a cold winter evening !
Hey Janelle,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! I hope you have an awesome weekend:) xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Only comment- I made the instant pot version and by the end there seemed to not be enough broth. I used 8 cups as directed, but wonder if the orzo soaked up too much? Should I add more next time? Thanks!
Hey Katherine,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry there did not seem to be enough broth, you can absolutely add more next time. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I didn’t have a few of the ingredients like kale, and added celery but the actual soup broth and seasonings is near perfection! It is now one of our favorites and will be making again very soon. I make a lot of soups my husband loves and this went immediately into his top 5 favorites. So glad I tried it.
Hey Melissa,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week:) xTieghan
10/10. Another hit from HBH!! This was so delicious and comforting and everything I want in a soup. I actually cooked the orzo the way you have in other recipes by toasting it in butter first and it gave it that extra little bit of a nuttier flavor that was a nice addition. ?
Hey Joann,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hello!
Looks delicious, You put raw chicken into the crockpot?
Hey Parker,
Yes, that is correct. I hope you love the recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions. xTieghan
Hi there! This looks delicious! Any substitutes for Parmesan rind? Thank you.
Hey Angela,
You can skip the parmesan rind! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I never have a parmesan rind, so I just put whatever Parm I have in and it always tastes good!
Sooooo good and the dill made it so much more flavorful!! Only problem is now I have a ton of leftover fresh dill ?
Hey Emily,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I am excited to try this! My daughter has a dairy allergy – can I make it without the Parmesan? I wonder if the rind would be ok? Or do you suggest a substitution?
Hey Kathryn,
I would just skip the parmesan here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan