How do I make this gluten-free?

Use gluten-free orzo, or sub in rice.

How do I make this vegan?

Skip the egg (it will be brothier), use vegetable broth, and sub in chickpeas or white beans for the chicken.

How do I make this vegetarian?

Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and use chickpeas or white beans instead of chicken.

Can I use different herbs?

Yep! Most anything will work here (parsley or basil). The only one I'd avoid is cilantro and the flavor profile isn't the best with this!

Can I cook the chicken right in the broth?

Yep, you could add the chicken in with the broth and let it poach in the soup, and then shred after it's fully cooked and add it back in.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo Recipe

Description

Filling, fresh, and vibrant lemony chicken soup made creamy with NO CREAM and a secret ingredient! Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and diced
half of an onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8–10 cups chicken broth
1 cup whole wheat orzo
3-ish cups cooked chicken (I use shredded rotisserie chicken)
3 eggs
juice of 3–4 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
a handful of fresh spinach
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
lots of freshly ground pepper
as much fresh dill as you can handle

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Instructions

Base: Heat large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic. Saute until fragrant and tender, about 10 minutes. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.)
Orzo: Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the orzo and cook for a few minutes until softened. Stir in the chicken and remove from heat.
Eggs: Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a small bowl. The idea here is to warm up the egg mixture slowly (without scrambling the eggs). Slowly add a scoop of the soup into the egg mixture. Then add your warmed egg mixture back to the soup pot – slowly, slowly, slowly, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy.
Final touches: Finish by stirring in your spinach, salt, pepper, and dill and adjust seasonings to taste!

Notes

Broth: If you like a chunkier soup, go for 8 cups of broth. If you like a more brothy soup, go for 10 cups.

Leftovers: This works great as leftovers. The orzo likes to soak up that moisture, so you might just have to thin it out a bit as you reheat.

Eggs: If you add your egg mixture to the soup when it’s too hot, the eggs will scramble! It’s gross. Don’t do that. To help your soup cool down more quickly in preparation for the egg mixture, you can stir in a few ice cubes.

Vegetarian: You could easily make this vegetarian by using white beans or another vegetarian protein in place of the chicken.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Keywords: lemon chicken soup, chicken soup with orzo, chicken soup