Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

🧂 Ingredients

• 10 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups carrots

  peeled and chopped
• 1 1/3 cups onions

  chopped finely
• 1 1/3 cups celery

  chopped (I added 1 cup of celery leaves)
• 1 tsp. minced garlic from a jar

  or 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 tsp. lemon rind

  grated (I used the grated rind of one whole lemon)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 whole rotisserie-cooked chicken

  shredded, (about 4 cups)
• 8 oz. orzo pasta

  uncooked (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

  chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

  coarsely cracked
• 1/4 cup Romano cheese

  grated
• additional water or broth

  as needed

Instructions

• 1 Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
• 2 Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, lemon rind, salt and
  pepper.
• 3 Sauté veggies and seasonings over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften.
• 4 This will take about 5 minutes.
• 5 Add the chicken stock and lemon juice.
• 6 Bring to a boil.
• 7 Reduce heat and add the chicken and orzo.
• 8 Simmer until orzo is cooked through approximately 9 minutes.
• 9 Just before serving stir in the parsley and remove the bay leaves.
• 10 Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and garnish with Romano cheese, if desired.

Nutrition Info