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Several weeks ago when I made this recipe I was feeling really under the weather, in the kind of way only chicken broth and Sprite seem to fix. Making this brought back memories of my grandma cooking a big batch of chicken noodle soup in her large stock pot on the stove, using chicken bones to make broth from the marrow. This recipe doesn’t require all of that extra work, just to throw everything together in crockpot and let it do it’s thing (so you can rest!)

Start by gathering the ingredients, and washing and trimming the vegetables Trim any excess fat off the chicken. Peel the carrots, and slice the carrots and celery into thin pieces. I prefer to use fresh herbs for this and have windowsill planters for rosemary and thyme, but dried works just as well if you have it.

Spray the inside liner of your slow cooker, and place the chicken breasts on the bottom. I highly recommend using a 6-7 quart crockpot for this due to the volume of soup this recipe creates; if using a smaller crockpot, divide the ingredients in half. Add the carrots, celery, minced garlic, chicken broth, vegetable broth, water, dried basil, italian seasoning, black pepper, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary sprig, and bay leaves. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Half an hour before the soup is finished, you’ll need to remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem, and pull the fully cooked chicken breasts. Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and shred with two forks, then add it back into the soup. Chop the parsley and add the parsley, orzo, and the juice from half of the lemon into the soup and stir well. Replace the lid and let it cook until the orzo is finished. You may need to stir the orzo several times during the last thirty minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze for up to three months. Enjoy!

Our Kitchen Picks:

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Course: SoupsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking Time

hours

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 large carrots
3 sticks celery
6 cloves minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
3⁄4 tsp dried basil
3⁄4 tsp Italian seasoning
1⁄4 tsp ground black pepper
1 sprig thyme, stem removed
1 sprig rosemary
4 bay leaves
1 lemon
3 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 cup uncooked orzo
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Wash and trim the celery and carrots. Peel the carrots before slicing the celery and carrots into small pieces. Mince the garlic and trim any fat off the chicken, and remove the stem from the fresh thyme.
Grease the bottom and sides of a slow cooker liner. Add the chicken breasts to the bottom, then all remaining ingredients except for the salt & pepper, lemon, parsley, and orzo. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
About 30 minutes prior to serving, remove the bay leaves and chicken, and shred the chicken with 2 forks. Thinly slice the parsley.
Squeeze half the lemon directly into the soup, and slice the remaining half for serving. Add back in the shredded chicken, along with the parsley, orzo, salt, and pepper. Keep an eye on the orzo and stir occasionally until orzo is cooked through. Serve.

Notes

This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days or in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Use a large slow cooker for this recipe, or divide the ingredients in half.