Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

prep 15 minutes · cook 20 minutes 
makes 4-6 servings · recipe source adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups water + 1 tsp chicken bullion granules

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta*

2 cups shredded/cubed rotisserie chicken

Juice of 1 lemon, about 1/4 cup

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Stir in thyme and rosemary and cook for one additional minute until herbs smell fragrant.

Add in chicken broth, water, chicken bullion, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir in chicken and uncooked orzo. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-12 minutes until orzo is tender. Stir in fresh lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 

Notes

If the pasta sits in the soup for too long it will absorb most of the liquid and become swollen and soggy. If you need to cook the soup for longer than the 30 minutes required, bring to boil as directed after adding the chicken broth, water, bullion and bay leaves. Don't add the orzo, and reduce to a simmer on lowest possible heat. Cover and let simmer as long as needed (probably no longer than an hour), stirring every so often. Uncover and increase the heat to medium about 15 minutes before you plan on serving. Allow soup to come back to a bubbling simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the uncooked orzo. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Stir in lemon juice and parsley and season to taste. Serve immediately.

*You could also use small star shaped pasta or small alphabet pasta.