This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
If you’re craving something cozy but not too heavy, this lemon chicken orzo soup delivers. It’s creamy, comforting, and bright with lemon.
This lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is loaded with tender chicken, hearty veggies, and orzo, plus dill and plenty of lemon to brighten it up. A splash of cream adds just enough richness without making it heavy. It’s comforting, satisfying, and the kind of soup you’ll want to make on repeat from fall through spring.
“I just made this tonight, and WOW…The lemon, dill, and cream set this over the edge.”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Chicken (bone-in, skin-on breasts and/or thighs) – Adds rich flavor to the broth and makes the soup hearty and satisfying; thighs are more tender and forgiving, but either works.
- Vegetable oil & butter – For searing and sautéing; the combo adds flavor and helps prevent burning.
- Onion, carrots, celery & garlic – The classic soup base that builds depth and savory flavor.
- All-purpose flour – Lightly thickens the broth.
- Chicken broth – The backbone of the soup, adding depth as it simmers.
- Orzo – Makes the soup hearty and satisfying; cook just until tender.
- Heavy cream – Adds a bit of richness and gives the broth its creamy finish.
- Lemon zest & fresh lemon juice – Brighten everything up and balance the richness.
- Herbs – Bay leaf adds depth as the soup simmers, while dill adds a fresh, bright finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Season the chicken: Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
Sear the chicken: In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil and brown the chicken until golden on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. (Don’t discard the flavorful fat in the pot.)
Cook the veggies: Melt the butter into the chicken fat in the pot, then add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook briefly, then sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until lightly golden.
Pro Tip: Keep the garlic moving and cook it just until fragrant. If it turns brown, it becomes bitter and can overpower the delicate flavors of the lemon and dill in the soup.
Simmer the soup: Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom, then add the bay leaf and return the chicken and its juices to the pot. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Shred the chicken: Transfer the chicken pieces to a cutting board, then discard the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces.
Cook the orzo: Bring the soup back to a gentle boil and add the orzo. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente.
Finish the soup: Stir in the cream, lemon juice, and shredded chicken, and simmer until warmed through. Discard the bay leaf, then stir in the lemon zest and dill and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Note that the orzo will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits. If you have leftovers, you may need to add a splash of broth or water when reheating to bring it back to a soup-like consistency.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Tips
The soup can be made ahead up to the point of adding the orzo, then refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Store the cooked chicken separately and add it just before serving. When ready to serve, bring the soup to a gentle boil, add the orzo, and finish as directed.
If you plan to save some soup for later, cook the orzo separately and add it to individual servings as needed to prevent it from absorbing too much broth.
Video Tutorial
Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1¾ lb bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and/or thighs, trimmed of excess skin or fat
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
- 2 celery ribs, cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 qts (8 cups) chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1¼ cups orzo
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1½ teaspoons dried)
Instructions
- Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside (don’t discard the flavorful fat in the pot).
- Add the butter to the pan and let it melt into the chicken fat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not brown.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden and no dry bits of flour remain, about 1 minute.
- Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaf and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through—about 15 minutes for breasts and 20 minutes for thighs.
- Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the skin and bones, then shred the meat into bite-size pieces.
- Bring the soup back to a gentle boil and add the orzo. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick, until al dente (check the package for timing).
- Stir in the cream, the lemon juice, and shredded chicken, and simmer a few minutes more until everything is warmed through.
- Fish out and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon zest and dill, then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
This soup is hearty enough to stand on its own, but it’s even better with something on the side. For dipping, try my easy artisan bread, soft and buttery dinner rolls, or sourdough bread. If you’re in the mood for something fresh, pair it with a Greek salad.
More Chicken Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Absolutely delicious and fun to make! I have used non-fat plain Greek yogurt in place of heavy cream for this and a few of Jenn’s other creamy soup recipes. Even a small container of heavy cream can sometimes go bad before it can be used for something else. That’s why I took a chance and tried the yogurt. The slight tanginess of the yogurt does, in my opinion, add to the flavor but is not at all overpowering. It works for us, plus it’s lower in calories and cholesterol.
This soup is simply delightful! It was perfect for a cool, autumn evening…comforting and flavorful. I will keep this recipe in mind when taking meals to friends and family. The only change I made was cutting the cream to 1/2 C instead of a full cup. It was still creamy and perfect for our taste. Once Upon a Chef is the first site I check when I am looking for the best recipes, and Jenn, you always come through! Thank you!
Delicious hearty soup! Perfect for fall and winter to get the chill out of our bones and yet remind us of warmer days with the fresh lemon and dill taste!
This is one of our family’s favorite soups! It’s on a permanent rotation in our home, we love it!
Hi. I’m excited to try this. Wondering if I could use boneless chicken breasts in the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, technically you can, but you won’t get the flavor or fat that comes from the skin. Use oil to cook veggies, add chicken with broth, and simmer until cooked through. Or use this recipe for poached chicken and add it at the end just to warm it through (the chicken tenderloins will be a bit more tender than the breasts).
Lactose intolerant here! Do you think it would taste good if I used coconut milk?
Hi Kent, I don’t recommend coconut milk – it would give the soup a subtle coconut flavor. For a non-dairy option, some readers have commented that they’ve used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen), Silk’s heavy whipping cream alternative, and Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried any of these.) Please LMK how it turns out if you try it with a dairy alternative!
im torn between this recipe and your chicken chili for my bridge group in November. My original plan was chicken chili, corn bread and spinach salad with berries. Now, I have to reconsider: the soup would be lighter and not as dense, but what would I serve with it?
Hi Joni, this would pair nicely with my easy artisan bread or dinner rolls and a salad – you could stick with the spinach salad you were planning.
What’s funny is I made your recipe for this once before and LOVED it. When I saw this in my email, I went back into my notes to realize it was the same soup. My family loved it, too! Now that it’s soup season, it’s back in the rotation!
Hello!
I was just wondering if you could make this in the Crock-Pot with a smoked pre-shredded chicken? Would I follow the directions within the recipe for all the veggies? Or could everything be put together in the crock pot?
Thank you in advance,
DeeDee
Hi DeeDee, technically, you could, but you’d need to go through all the steps, up to step 5, on the stovetop, and then, after the chicken is cooked, go through the steps of adding the orzo and then the cream and lemon juice, so just not sure it’s worth it.
This soup looks amazing! Can it be made leaving out the cup of heavy cream and still taste good? 🙂
Yep – it will still be good 🙂