Lemony Chicken and Orzo Pasta Soup
Making your own bright, flavorful springtime soup is easy with this pasta soup recipe from Registered Dietitian Whitney Reist at Sweet Cayenne. In less than an hour you’ll have a fresh dish you can serve for lunch or with a healthy dinner.
Lemony Chicken and Orzo Pasta Soup
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced into 1” cubes
- 2 medium leeks washed and chopped (only use white and light green part)
- 3 medium carrots washed, peeled, and diced into 1/4” pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup white wine or water
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock recommend Kitchen Basics unsalted chicken stock
- 1/2 cup whole wheat orzo pasta
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Shaved Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
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Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Lightly season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add to the heated pot, and saute for about 3 minutes.
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Add carrots and leeks to chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and herbs, stir to combine. Add Dijon mustard, stir to combine. Add wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add all of the chicken stock and stir to incorporate.
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Increase heat to high to bring mixture to a boil. Add the orzo and reduce heat to medium-low to slowly boil (a little stronger than a simmer but not a full rolling boil) for 10-12 minutes until orzo is cooked and the vegetables are tender.
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Turn off heat and add lemon juice and zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with Parmesan shavings on top. Leftover soup freezes well or will keep in your fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
** This recipe was entered into the Pasta Fits Recipe ReDux contest. As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover.
