Greek Chicken Soup With Lemon And Orzo (GF)

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This recipe brings together ingredients that are clean, wholesome, and satisfying. Fresh parsley adds a layer of aroma and taste, while the broth provides a soothing base. It's an ideal meal for cozy dinners or light lunches.

What sets this soup apart is that it can be a quick weeknight dinner or an easy lunch. This recipe is versatile and simple to make. It’s a wholesome meal that’s easy to make yet tastes like something you’d savor in a cozy Mediterranean bistro.

This high-protein recipe contains chicken, chicken broth, and eggs. Total grams of protein are at a whopping 16 grams.

This dish was inspired by the Lemon Chicken recipe as well as the Greek Lentil Salad and the Greek Village Salad. I love Greek food!

You will need the following ingredients to make this Greek soup:

Ingredient Notes

• Orzo - I use a gluten-free orzo for this recipe but feel free to substitute white rice, quinoa, or a regular orzo. I love DeLallo gluten-free orzo. It's not easy to find but I buy this on Amazon.
• Broth - I like using a chicken bone broth as the base to ramp up the nutrition; however, you can use any broth you like or use a chicken base like Better Than Bouillon or Cook's Delight.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Additions:

• Veggies - Along with the carrots, celery, and spinach you can add zucchini or baby kale. I also like to add sometimes parsnip or turnip to sweeten up the soup sometimes.
• Herbs - While parsley is a staple in this recipe, dill and mint also work well. You can ramp up the spice by adding crushed red pepper or Aleppo pepper.

Substitutions:

• Protein - You can use shredded rotisserie chicken from the grocery store in place of the chicken in this recipe. Just add it at the end of the cooking as it is already cooked. You can substitute turkey or chickpeas in place of the chicken.

How To Make Greek Chicken Soup With Lemon And Orzo: Step-By-Step

Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:

Step 1: Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil.

Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Add a pinch of salt. Saute until just tender.

Step 2: Add the chicken broth, chicken, lemon zest strips, cloves, and the bay leaf.

Bring to a boil and then turn the burner down so the stock simmers. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is nearly cooked through.

Remove the chicken and place it on a plate and reserve. Remove the lemon zest strips and the cloves.

Step 3: Add the orzo and turn up the heat to bring the stock to a boil.

While the orzo is cooking, shred the chicken breasts and add them back to the pot.

Continue cooking until the orzo is al dente, about 8 minutes.

Step 4: Turn off the heat.

Whisk the eggs together with the lemon juice.

Temper the eggs by slowly adding some of the hot stock to the eggs while whisking constantly.

Step 5: Add the eggs back to the stock and combine by whisking constantly until the soup has thickened.

Step 6: Stir in the spinach, parsley, and scallion. Taste the broth and add salt to taste.

Serve.

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• Shred the Chicken Easily: Use two forks or a hand mixer to quickly shred the cooked chicken.
• Season Gradually: Add salt in small amounts and taste as you go to avoid over-seasoning, especially if you are using store-bought broth, which can be salty.

Make sure you temper your eggs or the eggs will scramble when you add them to the soup!

• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in the stock pot you used to cook the soup in. The soup should last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. I wouldn't recommend freezing this soup because the eggs may curdle.

Orzo is an easy pasta to use in soup. It does not get mushy like other pasta shapes do when cooked in the soup.

Avgolemono when translated literally means egg lemon. Avgolemono has been used both as a soup and a sauce in recipes.

The soup has a creamy texture without adding in dairy. You will taste lemon, which brightens the soup.

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