Name: Creamy Chicken Orzo Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 carrots, sliced; spices: 1 tsp each: salt, black pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano; 1 bay leaf; 2 whole chicken breast fillets (about 450 g/1 pound); 1.2 L/5 cups chicken broth; 1 tbsp soy sauce; juice from 1/2 lemon; 350 ml/1 ½ cup cream 20% fat; 180 g/6 oz orzo; 80 g/3 oz spinach; freshly ground black pepper, for serving; crushed red pepper flakes, for serving

Creamy chicken orzo soup. This soup is very straightforward, silky and thick, with a subtle fragrance of herbs plus a nice hit of lemon. It’s super comforting and satisfying, yet light-tasting at the same time. But what really seals the deal is that the whole thing is made in one pot and tastes like can’t-stop-eating-delicious.

To make it, we cook down onion and garlic together with salt and herbs, this way the soup will taste extra flavorful and well-seasoned. So much better than just throwing the the herbs into the broth.

Then we add in carrots and chicken, pour in broth, and bring to a boil. Hang out or drink a coffee for 15 minutes, then transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Add orzo and cream to the broth, squeeze in some lemon juice and let the pasta cook for 10 minutes. In the meantime, we shred the chicken. Then, stir our chicken back in, add a lot of spinach, and crack some fresh pepper on top. That’s it. This recipe is sure to become a favorite you’ll make over and over again.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.

RECIPE NOTES

This recipe is super versatile, make it your own!

if you want a ‘brothier’ soup, you can cook the orzo in a separate pot and add it to the soup when you stir in the chicken
instead of spinach, you can add veggies like cauliflower, broccoli rabe, escarole, kale or corn kernels
if you plan to make a batch of this soup beforehand, don’t add the orzo or the heavy cream yet, add it right before you’re planning to serve the soup
you can use rotisserie chicken and skip the 15 minute cooking of the chicken
when you reheat the leftovers, the orzo will thicken creating a delicious, creamy risotto-style pasta
instead of orzo, you can use rice if you want to, or other pasta shapes like egg noodles, cavatelli or alphabet noodles

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Recipe Video

Yield: serves 4