Description
A bowl of this gluten-free lemon chicken orzo soup is sure to warm you up from the inside out! With plenty of chicken, veggies, tender orzo, and a bright lemony broth, it’s easy, nourishing, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3–4 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 stalks celery, diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken broth (we prefer bone broth)
- 12 ounces cooked chicken, cubed or shredded*
- 1 cup gluten-free orzo* (uncooked)
- 3–4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 2 egg yolks*
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill or basil
Instructions
1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook 8-10 minutes, until tender. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute more.
2. Next, add chicken broth and cooked chicken. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat.
3. When the soup is simmering, add orzo. Cook soup at a low simmer 10-12 minutes, or until orzo is just tender. Stir regularly so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. When the orzo is cooked, reduce heat to low and add spinach and fresh herbs.
5. In a small heatproof bowl, combine egg yolks and 3 Tablespoons lemon juice. Whisk until totally smooth. Whisking constantly, gradually add 1 ladle full of warm broth to the egg mixture to temper the eggs (this keeps them from scrambling in the soup!). When the mixture is smooth, pour the egg mixture into the soup, stirring to combine. It should look creamy.
6. Before serving, taste soup and add additional seasoning, lemon juice, or fresh herbs, to taste. Remove bay leaf from soup and enjoy warm! (Keep in mind that, like most soups, the flavor of this soup will continue to develop with time. It’s even better the next day!)
7. Enjoy warm and store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop. (We don’t recommend freezing this soup.)
Notes
If you don’t have any cooked chicken, you can add raw chicken breasts to the soup and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through. Remove chicken breast from the pot and shred or dice. Only AFTER the chicken is cooked should you add the orzo to the soup.
Traditional orzo pasta is NOT gluten-free, so you need to look for certified gluten-free orzo. We like Delallo brand.
This technique is inspired by the Greek chicken soup avgolemono. It’s a great way to add a creamy touch to this soup without any dairy. If you don’t tolerate eggs, you can absolutely omit them here. Or, you can omit them and add a splash of heavy cream, if you prefer.
I love to let the lemon flavor shine through, but if you want more herbs, you can add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning along with the salt and pepper!