By Lynda Balslev | TasteFood
When you cook a whole chicken, you will likely have leftovers. This light and easy chicken orzo soup is a homey dinner solution that includes leftover meat and welcomes any stray vegetables lurking in your refrigerator. The only tasks required to pull the dish together are to saute the vegetables and cook the orzo in the broth, producing a comforting weeknight dinner. Since the chicken is already cooked, it only needs a few minutes to be warmed in the broth before serving.
The addition of the orzo pasta is a bonus to the soup. Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta usually made from semolina flour. When cooked in the soup, it holds its shape and slippery texture, while infusing the broth with its starch. The result is a silky, comforting body that adds an extra dimension to this 25-minute soup.
If you don’t have any leftover chicken, not to worry. A store-bought rotisserie chicken can do the trick.
Chicken Orzo Soup
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, sliced, about 1/4-inch thick
1 celery rib, sliced, about 1/4-inch thick
1 small bulb fennel, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup orzo
2 to 3 thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken stock
12 to 16 ounces cooked chicken meat, shredded into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, without coloring, about 3 minutes.
Add the carrots, celery and fennel and saute until the vegetables are bright and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes more.
Add the orzo and thyme. Stir to coat and lightly toast, about 1 minute.
Pour in the stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover and simmer over medium heat until the orzo is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the chicken, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Continue to simmer until the chicken is heated through. Taste for seasoning. Remove the thyme sprigs, if used. Stir in the parsley and serve.
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer based in northern California. Visit TasteFood at TasteFoodblog.com.
