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
Try These Next
- White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese
- Creamy Bean Soup with Sausage
- Creamy Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Recipe Video
Calories Per Serving: 529 kcalCreamy Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPE PDF
What is a good non-substitute for the cream?
Hi, you can use soy cream or unsweetened coconut cream. Enjoy the recipe!
I have just discovered your page and made the soup. It was super fast and really delicious! Thank you so much, I am looking forward to try other recipes of yours 🙂
Fantastic, that’s really nice to hear! Enjoy the recipes!
I really enjoyed this recope but definitely tweeked it. I used tarragon instead of thyme, 5 cloves of garlic (because i love garlic), 4 cups unsalted chicken broth, 2 1/2 cups regular chicken broth, 2 1/2 cups cream, 2 tblsp low sodiuom soy sauce, chopped the chicken in bite sized cubes (I prefer it that way unless in chicken tortilla soup), and shortened the rime on the orzo so it was a bit undercooked before adding the chicken again, and then the spinach. Loved it!!
Thanks, so glad you enjoyed it! Love your ideas Natascha!
This was delicious and so easy!! Can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers! And for sure will be making this again soon. Thanks!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it!
I have never commented on or reviewed anything in my life but, I just had to for this soup! It was amazing! I had a ton of leftover shredded chicken from last nights dinner so I just used precooked and added it at the end with the spinach. This is definitely a keeper and will be making it often.
Thank you Bre! That’s so nice to hear this recipe was a hit!