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Home » Soups/Salads » Light Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Light Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Last Updated on September 6, 2020. Originally Posted on September 28, 2020 By Laura Franco / 5 Comments

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Fresh and zingy lemony flavored Greek-style soup with the warm savory bites of roasted chicken and thyme. From the stovetop to the table in less than 30 minutes. So light and refreshing that you will want to make it all year round.  via @krazykitchenmomFresh and zingy lemony flavored Greek-style soup with the warm savory bites of roasted chicken and thyme. From the stovetop to the table in less than 30 minutes. So light and refreshing that you will want to make it all year round.  via @krazykitchenmomLight Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is an easy one-pot weeknight dinner using rotisserie chicken, chicken broth, fresh herbs and lemon with orzo. via @krazykitchenmom

Fresh and zingy lemony flavored Greek-style soup with the warm savory bites of roasted chicken and thyme. From the stovetop to the table in less than 30 minutes. So light and refreshing that you will want to make it all year round.

If you told me I could pick only one type of food to eat for the rest of my life, that would be an easy decision because I would yell “SOUP”. 

White bowl wit greek chicken soup and a spoon in it

What Makes This Soup So Good

  • E.A.S.Y – This soup recipe is super simple because it’s made with a rotisserie chicken. Pick up a fully cooked, juicy rotisserie chicken and you can have a delicious, satisfying, cozy bowl of homemade soup in minutes.
  • The lemon and fresh thyme are my favorite ingredients in this soup. I’m crazy over the pop of bright fresh lemon coupled with the herbiness of the fresh thyme.
  • The recipe uses pantry-friendly items that you probably already have.
  • Homemade soup that’s full of flavor in less than 30 minutes – can’t go wrong with that.
  • Don’t let the fact that it’s “light” fool you because it’s loaded with fresh flavors.

Ingredients

Round wooden board with all of the green lemon chicken orzo soup

Rotisserie chicken – My market sells a lemon-flavored rotisserie chicken which is what I used for this recipe so it would complement the fresh lemon flavor. If you cannot find a lemon chicken, you could use roasted or even something like a mojo rotisserie chicken. I wouldn’t recommend using a BBQ flavored chicken for this soup recipe.

Orzo pasta – I like to use orzo pasta in my soups because they are tiny pasta pieces but you can still tell it’s pasta. If you cannot find orzo you can substitute it by using ditalini pasta or you can even break spaghetti noodles into small pieces.

How To Make This Light Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

  1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot or soup pot on medium heat. Add carrots and celery and cook them for 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add chicken broth, ground thyme, salt, and black pepper and bring the both mix to a boil.
  3. Add orzo and cook for 11-13 minutes as a low boil until the orzo it cooked. Add the chicken, fresh thyme, lemon zest and juice.
Photo collage showing the three main steps to make Greek lemon orzo soup

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use leftover grilled chicken instead of rotisserie chicken?

Absolutely! You can even cook your own full chicken or chicken breasts and use them in this soup. I love the convenience of rotisserie chicken and use it in a lot of my soup and flatbread recipes. Check out some of my other rotisserie chicken recipes: Six Easy Rotisserie Chicken Recipes.

What Makes This Recipe “Light”?

I call this “light” because the ingredients are light and fresh and it’s a broth-based soup rather than a cream-based soup. It’s an everyday take on authentic Greek Avgolemono soup, pronounced Ahvo-lemono with the “g” silent.

Can I reheat this soup?

Again, that’s a yes! This soup recipe is an easy leftover lunch or dinner and can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Can I freeze the soup?

While you can freeze it, I wouldn’t recommend freezing it with the orzo it in. If you want to make a batch to keep in the freezer, do not add the orzo and then when you thaw it and cook it, add the orzo while it’s cooking.

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips

  • I highly recommend when making any type of soup or spaghetti sauce, you double the recipe. For this soup, I recommend making a double batch and then freezing half of it without the orzo pasta. Once it’s thawed, just add the orzo and heat it on the stovetop for about 11 minutes.
  • Always “sweat” your vegetables when making soup. Sweat means to cook them for just a couple of minutes. You don’t want to overcook them because they will still cook in the broth.
  • Check for the doneness of the vegetables like celery and carrots. You don’t want them to be mushy. They should have a slightly firm snappy texture.
  • For this recipe – lemon! Start small but don’t be afraid to add more to your personal liking. I absolutely love the bright lemon pop in this soup.
overhead shot of two bowls of soup with veggies on the side

More Of My Delicious Soup Recipes

  1. French Onion Soup
  2. Tuscan Bean Soup
  3. Low Carb/Low-Calorie Tomato Soup
  4. Broccoli and Cheese Soup
  5. White Bean Bean Soup
overhead shot of two bowls of soup with veggies on the side

Light Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Fresh and zingy lemony flavored Greek-style soup with the warm savory bites of roasted chicken and thyme. From the stovetop to the table in less than 30 minutes. So light and refreshing that you will want to make it all year round.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Comfort Food, Soup
Cuisine: America, Greek American
Keyword: chicken soup, easy dinner, easy recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Laura Franco

Ingredients 

  • 4 cups of rotisserie chicken or 3 chicken breasts cooked and diced.
  • 56 oz. boxes of chicken broth
  • 3 carrots peeled and diced
  • 3 celery stalks diced
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cups orzo pasta
  • 1 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 zest from one lemon
  • 1 juice from one lemon

Instructions

  • In a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium high.
  • Add carrots and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes on medium.
  • Add chicken broth.
  • Add ground thyme, salt and pepper.
  • Add chicken and fresh thyme.
  • Bring to boil.
  • Add orzo and cook for 7-11 minutes until pasta is cooked.
  • Add lemon zest and juice.
  • Serve with a slice of lemon and fresh thyme as a garnish.

Notes

  • I highly recommend when making any type of soup or spaghetti sauce, you double the recipe. For this soup, I recommend making a double batch and then freezing half of it without the orzo pasta. Once it’s thawed, just add the orzo and heat it on the stovetop for about 11 minutes.
  • Always “sweat” your vegetables when making soup. Sweat means to cook them for just a couple of minutes. You don’t want to overcook them because they will still cook in the broth.
  • Check for the doneness of the vegetables like celery and carrots. You don’t want them to be mushy. They should have a slightly firm snappy texture.
  • For this recipe – lemon! Start small but don’t be afraid to add more to your personal liking. I absolutely love the bright lemon pop in this soup.
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5 Comments
Last Updated: September 6, 2020

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. john kennedy says

    February 9, 2021 at 5:52 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! The pop of brightness from the lemon and subtle herb taste from the Thyme brought me back to my grandmoms kitchen 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura Franco says

      February 9, 2021 at 9:09 pm

      Food and memories are magical that way.

      Reply
  2. Wanda says

    February 10, 2021 at 3:52 pm

    5 stars
    I wish we could get a lemon flavoured roasted chicken here! This dish looks like my kind of comfort food so it’s going on the menu this weekend!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Greek Style Panzanella Salad | Krazy Kitchen Mom says:
    July 22, 2017 at 7:01 am

    […] If you like Greek Style Panzanella Salad, you’ll also like Light Greek Lemon Orzo Soup. […]

    Reply
  2. Easy Weeknight Pepper Steak | Krazy Kitchen Mom says:
    September 10, 2017 at 7:01 am

    […] If you like this easy weeknight meal, you’ll also like Light Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. […]

    Reply

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