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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon chicken orzo soup with a bright lemon-herb broth and tender orzo cooked directly in the pot. Shredded chicken, carrots, celery, and spinach create a hearty Mediterranean main dish, finished with dill and either a Greek egg-lemon (avgolemono) swirl or a simple lemon-zest boost.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 410
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast
Orzo pasta
  • 1 orzo pasta
Carrots
  • 3 carrots, sliced
Celery
  • 3 celery, sliced
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic, minced
Chicken broth
  • 8 cup chicken broth
Fresh lemon juice
  • 0.33 cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Baby spinach
  • 2 cup baby spinach
Fresh dill
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Eggs (optional)
  • 2 eggs (optional, for Greek egg-lemon/avgolemono style)
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until they start to soften and look glossy.
  2. Add the garlic and dried thyme and cook for 1 minute. Stir constantly until fragrant, with tiny golden flecks on the garlic.
Simmer the chicken
  1. Pour in the chicken broth and add the chicken breast. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep it at a steady simmer for 18 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
  2. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot so it stays mixed through the broth.
Cook the orzo
  1. Add the orzo to the pot and cook for 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally. The orzo should be tender while the broth becomes lightly thick.
Finish with lemon (two options)
  1. For avgolemono style, whisk the eggs with the fresh lemon juice in a bowl. Slowly ladle hot broth into the eggs while whisking, keeping the mixture smooth and not clumpy.
  2. Stir the tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the pot. Simmer gently just until combined, without boiling hard, so the soup stays silky.
  3. For regular style, stir in the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until the lemon flavor brightens the broth right away.
Add greens and serve
  1. Add the baby spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Watch for bright green leaves that soften but keep their shape.
  2. Stir in the chopped fresh dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust, then serve hot with lemon zest on top if desired.

Notes

Pro tip: for avgolemono, temper the eggs by adding hot broth slowly while whisking so it stays smooth—avoid boiling after the egg mixture goes in. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days in a covered container; reheat gently, adding a splash of broth if it thickens. Freezing is not recommended for the egg-lemon style, but the regular lemon style can be frozen up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use chicken breast and reduce olive oil to 1 tablespoon.