Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup – Instant Pot or Stovetop

At a glance

What stands out: Lemon chicken orzo soup is cozy and comforting, and the bright, fresh flavor of lemon makes it taste just a little like spring. You can make it on your stovetop or in your Instant Pot.

How long it takes: about an hour in the Instant Pot; or a half hour on the stove
Equipment you’ll need: either an Instant Pot or large soup pan
Servings: 6

The Michigan Winter “Survival” Soup

Winter this year in Michigan has been absolutely relentless with sub-zero temps, freezing rain, ice storms, and so much snow! Needless to say, this winter has been a big encouragement to create lots of new soup recipes. Nothing warms you up like a warm bowl of soup!

This lemon chicken orzo soup is a twist on classic chicken noodle soup. We love chicken noodle soup (try our classic chicken noodle soup, Instant Pot chicken noodle soup or Instant Pot chicken and rice soup) but sometimes it’s fun to mix it up a little.

What makes it special:

• Comfort food. This soup has all the cozy comforts you want in a chicken noodle soup but the broth is brightened up by lots of fresh lemon juice (reliable for those runny noses, coughs, and sore throats), and a hint of dill.
• Easier to eat. We love to use orzo in soup. This tiny pasta orzo nuzzles into your spoon cozily with the vegetables and chicken, so you get a reliable bite with all the ingredients each time.
• Two straightforward ways to cook it. We realize not everyone is all about their Instant Pot like we are, so we have instructions for a stovetop version, as well.

Alissa Said:

“Rich! We made this for our whole family and we all loved it! Straightforward to mix and speedy! We did it in the stovetop. A great twist with different flavors than traditional chicken noodle!”

See More Reader Reviews

Ways to serve it

Lemon chicken orzo soup is great with warm and crusty Dutch oven bread or a crispy tossed salad with lighter ranch dressing or lemon basil dressing. Finish with a sweet treat like lemon bread or lemon sugar cookies.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Try different vegetables. Soup is forgiving. Feel free to substitute vegetables that you like better, or happen to have, or add more vegetables to the soup. Cabbage and kale are good substitutes for spinach but take longer to cook. Add them when you add the orzo.
• Use fresh dill. If you happen to have fresh dill, by all means, substitute that. You’ll want to add more dill if it’s fresh, about 3 times more.
• Amp up the garlic. We often use garlic powder in soups, especially if we happen to be out of fresh garlic. If you love the taste of garlic in chicken soup, mince a few cloves finely, and add the garlic to the vegetables when they have softened. Sauté the garlic a minute just to release the fragrance before continuing with the recipe.

Make-Ahead Ideas

This soup freezes well so if you have extra, freeze it for future dinners. You could even make a double batch.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Transfer any soup that’s left over to an airtight or covered container and refrigerate it. It will keep for three or four days. It can be frozen for at least 3 months.

Reheat: Warm up individual portions in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. If the soup seems too thick (it gets thicker as the orzo continues to absorb liquid), add a splash of broth or water. Larger amounts can be reheated in a saucepan on the stove.

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 28 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced or thinly sliced celery
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium or unsalted)
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or up to 2 pounds)
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice ( 2 to 3 lemons)
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup shredded carrots (or finely diced)
• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed

Method

1. Heat Instant Pot to Sauté. Add oil, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add broth, water, and chicken. Secure lid and turn valve to "seal." Set Instant Pot on Pressure Cook (or Manual, high pressure) for 11 minutes. Quick release pressure when done cooking and carefully remove lid.
3. Transfer chicken to a plate and turn Instant Pot back to Sauté. Add lemon juice, dill weed, garlic powder, carrots, and orzo. Bring to a boil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until orzo is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes (check the package for exact cooking time).
4. Meanwhile, shred chicken with two forks and return to pot when shredded.
5. When orzo has finished cooking, turn Instant Pot to warm and add spinach (see note) and stir to wilt. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt and pepper. You may also add more chicken broth or water if it's thicker than you like.
6. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add diced chicken, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Sauté until onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
7. Add broth, water, lemon juice, dill, and garlic; bring to a boil.
8. Add carrots and orzo and cook for 8 to 10 minutes (follow orzo package directions), until orzo is al dente. Stir in spinach (see note) until wilted, and serve!

Notes

Adding spinach: If you’re not quite ready to serve the soup, wait to add the spinach. Keep the soup warm and add the spinach right before serving so it retains its fresh flavor and color. If you use kale or another tougher green, it can be added sooner.

Chicken: To speed up cooking time when making the stovetop version, we recommend dicing the chicken into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the soup. You could cook it whole and shred it if that’s what you prefer, but it will slightly increase the cooking time. You can also substitute cooked or rotisserie chicken if you want to make this a speedy and straightforward recipe.

Storage: Leftover soup can be refrigerated for three or four days or frozen for at least 3 months.