Homemade Lemony Orzo Chicken Soup
- Yield 6
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 25 minutes
- Total 40 minutes
Homemade Lemony Orzo Chicken Soup is a soup recipe on Avoteb. The yield on the card is 6. Plan on 40 minutes from start to plate. The amounts and the method are both on this page.
Ingredients
Yield: 6 servings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more/less to taste)
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup uncooked orzo
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie works great)
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons), plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- extra lemon wedges (optional)
Method
Sauté the vegetables. Warm the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over a medium burner. Tip in the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5–6 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Let it bubble gently the soup. Tip in the chicken broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Stir in the orzo, then reduce heat to medium-low and let it bubble gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is just tender.
Tip in the chicken. Stir in the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper. Lower heat to low and keep the soup hot but not simmering.
Prepare the avgolemono. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice. While whisking constantly with one hand, very slowly ladle about 1½ cups of the hot broth with your other hand into the egg mixture to gently temper it.
Finish the soup. Slowly pour the tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the pot, stirring constantly. Leave over a low burner for 2–3 minutes, until the soup is silky and lightly thickened. Do not let it boil.
Finish and serve. Lift the bay leaf. Stir in the fresh dill and parsley. Check the seasoning and adjust seasoning with more lemon juice, salt, and pepper as needed. Plate warm, topped with extra herbs, black pepper, and lemon wedges if you’d like, and enjoy!
