Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup {Crock Pot}
Alternative recipe titles for this Crock Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup:
Feel-Good Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Goddess Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
What I Eat When My Husband Is Out of Town and I Get to Pick the Menu Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Take THAT You Nasty Cold Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Best Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup EVERRRRRRR
This is an entire slow cooker of good, clean, healthy, happy food we have right here.
Every bite of this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup made me feel alive and nourished. It’s light, bright, and packed with veggies, lean protein, and whole grains. It will fill and warm you to your core, without weighing you down, and the leftovers are just as tasty as the bowl you eat the day you make it.
This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is the sort of midday pick-me-up I long for in the middle of a weekday, but it is hearty enough to satisfy me on a chilly evening.
Per usual, I shopped for my Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup ingredients at Pick ‘n Save, my local Wisconsin grocery store for which I’m in my third year of creating and sharing recipes highlighting some of my favorite Pick ‘n Save products. I especially love the Simple Truth line, which is an array of products you’ll find throughout the store that are either organic or natural, free from 101 artificial ingredients and preservatives. For today’s soup, I’m using the Simple Truth Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth. It’s rich, savory, and one of the most important flavor foundations in broth-based soups like this one.
While this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup bears some resemblance to a classic chicken and noodle—lots of warm broth and chunks of juicy chicken—a few important additions make it taste extra special and unique. A handful of fresh dill makes the soup herbaceous and lively, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice wakes up the flavors and makes the soup incredibly refreshing and almost cleansing.
In case the vibrant flavors, feel-good ingredients, and homey comfort of this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup are not reason enough to make it, I am going to give you one more: SLOW COOKER. This is one of those magical crock pot recipes that require no pre-cooking of any sort. Simply dump the ingredients into your slow cooker, turn it on, then go about your business. In a few hours, you’ll have a hearty meal ready to serve.
Tools I used to make this recipe:
For a step-by-step of how to make this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe, watch this short video:
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup {Crock Pot}
A bright and delicious Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, made easy in the crock pot! Filled with fresh, healthy ingredients and absolutely delicious.
UPDATE 3/10: Because the orzo was turning out mushy for some, the recipe was revised to add it in the last 30 minutes before the soup is finished cooking. Please also note that regular (white) orzo can cook more quickly than whole wheat orzo (how the recipe was tested), so if you decide to use white orzo instead, you may want to wait longer to add it or check it a bit early.
Yield: 6 servings (12–14 cups total)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours (on high); 4 hours (on low)
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (on high); 4 hours, 15 minutes (on low)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 medium stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 7 cups Simple Truth Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 cup whole wheat orzo*
- 3 cups roughly chopped, loosely packed spinach (about 3 ounces)
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Directions:
- Lightly coat a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the bottom, then season with salt and pepper. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and basil. Pour the chicken broth over the top.
- Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes on high or 4 to 6 hours on low. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred or chop, then return to the slow cooker along with the orzo. Turn the heat to high and let cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add the spinach, lemon juice, and dill. If you desire a thinner soup, add a bit of water or additional chicken broth. Cover and continue cooking on high for 5 additional minutes, just until the spinach wilts. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy warm.
- *Please note that regular (white) orzo can cook more quickly than whole wheat orzo (how the recipe was tested), so if you decide to use white orzo instead, you may want to wait longer to add it or check it a bit early.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 (of 6), about 2 heaping cups
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 240 Calories
- Total Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
- Sodium: 489mg
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 4g
- Protein: 28g
Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
I am sharing this post in partnership with Pick ‘n Save. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue sharing quality content with you! For more recipe inspiration, you can follow Pick ‘n Save on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter too.
About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
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This soup sounds and looks amazing. With all of the germs floating around right now, I’m betting this has some healing powers.
Thanks so much, Jennie!
I am alllll about soup lately! I have actually NEVER cooked with orzo….crazy right? I need to try this goodness!
You should definitely try it, Taylor!
LOVE this soup recipe! I swear my whole campus has something going around. I also love the third and fourth alternative titles to this post. ;)
Thanks, Marina! I probably should have just one with one of those alternate names. ;)
LOVE how light this is, plus I LOVE LOVE LOVE orzo!
So warm and comforting, yet bright. I love that in a soup!
I am all about a bowl of this clean feel good delicousness right here!! This is my kind of soup!!
Making this ASAP
Oh boy, this looks good! Will be making it for sure this week! It is so colorful too! Thanks again!
Thanks, Saralee! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Any thoughts on making this on the stove top?
I think that would be fine, Lucy! You’ll want to simmer it on low. I hope you love it!
This looks scrumptious. We love lemon chicken (avgolemeno? greek soup) in our house. Love the idea of adding dill! Will be making this later in the week, thank you for sharing!!
Thanks so much, Susie! I hope you enjoy it!
So wonderful and vibrant. Love it! (:
Hey girl- this looks really good!
Thanks, Shawnna!
Hi Erin,
After years of cooking when my children were growing up, I took a semi-hiatus when the last one headed off to college. :) You are making me want to cook again! This soup is delicious – so fresh and tasty with just the right tang from the lemon. I loved it and love reading your blog.! Thank you.
Diana, I’m so glad you loved the soup! Thank YOU for reading my blog and for taking the time to let me know how the soup turned out.
Hi Bianca, the orzo should be soft but definitely not mushy. Did the chicken cook properly? Every slow cooker is a little different, so my guess would be that yours may run a bit hotter than average.
I love the barenof the soup – especially adding fresh dill. However, we need more spices – I tried smoked paprika for a bowl, any other suggestions? My husband added more spices for him. Do you have any other suggestions? Nice soup! I’ll make it again for sure!
Judy, I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the soup! It’s not really meant to be spicy, it’s more like a chicken noodle, but if you want more flavor, adding additional fresh herbs like basil could be a nice way to give it another level of flavor. For heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes always does the trick too!
I made this soup today- 02/18/2017- and it was just as delicious as your picture looked! ( and it did look like your pic) I thought all the spinach would be too much- not one bit. Awesome. The flavor bonanza was wonderful.
The only thing I did not like was that the orzo was somewhat overcooked at 4 hours. Next time I’ll only cook it for 3 hours and see how that does. My husband is a big soup fan and loved it, also.
I got this recipe from YUMMLY! Thank you for a great crockpot meal!
Hi Jennifer! I’m so glad you and your husband loved the soup! If you didn’t care for the texture of the orzo after 4 hours, then your idea to put it in a little later is a great one. Thanks so much for reporting back!
Made this tonight– so yummy!! Only thing was the orzo cooked quicker than the chicken…maybe cook one separately? I still happily gulped it down!
Hi Katherine! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the soup. If the orzo finished cooking before the chicken and you didn’t care for the texture, I would suggest just adding the a little later on in the process. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it went!
Very good soup! I did find it to be a bit too lemony (I think 1/4 cup of lemon juice would do), but overall good!
Hi Victoria! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the soup! Reducing the amount of lemon juice is the perfect option if you prefer a little less lemon flavor. Thanks for reporting back on how the recipe turned out!
Oops – meant to type “rate “the recipe.
Hi Dana, it sounds like the orzo was done closer to the 4-hour mark. I do recommend using whole wheat orzo for the best texture, and it’s helpful to check the slow cooker on the early side of the ranges given. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor, and if you do give the recipe another try, I hope the tweak will get the orzo texture more to your liking!
I also have the mushy orzo problem…and I’m only just over 3 hours on low in my crockpot. It smells delicious, but looks like we’ll have chicken and a spinach salad instead. It’s way too mushy to eat :( Where do you buy your whole wheat orzo? I haven’t been able to find it so did use regular.
Hi Laura, I buy whole wheat orzo at my regular grocery store (the Delallo brand). I’m sorry to hear you ran into a problem with mushy orzo. I’ve now added a recipe note to clarify this, but regular orzo will definitely be done faster than whole wheat called for in the recipe, so if you make the swap, you’ll want to add it later on in the process. If you try it again, I hope that’ll do the trick.
After reading several comments referencing mushy orzo I decided to cook mine separately and add it to the Crock Pot just before serving. I used DeLallo regular as my store does not stock the whole wheat version. The soup was delicious and the orzo was cooked perfectly! My 2 year old granddaughter gave it a two thumbs up! I will definitely prepare this again. Thank you!
I’m glad you enjoyed the soup, Candise! Thank you so much for reporting back and sharing your tip about cooking the orzo separately. That’s definitely an good option if you’re concerned about the texture and aren’t able to find a whole wheat version!
Hi Alma, I’m so sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t turn out for you. The orzo was soft in my batch, but it shouldn’t be mushy. Since a few others have reported this too, I’ve updated the recipe with instructions to add the orzo later on in the process. I know it’s disappointing to try something new and not have it turn out, so I truly with you would have enjoyed this!
Made this soup for dinner tonight and it was so wonderful. I did make it stove top and that worked out fine. I happened to have barley in the pantry so I used that instead of the orzo. It worked out great. My husband loved this soup too and I will definitely make it again.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Patty! Barley sounds like it would be delicious in the soup. Thank you for taking the time to share your tweaks and for leaving this lovely review!
I remade this because I wasn’t ready to give up on it and it turned out delicious! I cooked everything on the crockpot and just cooked the orzo separate and poured it in at the end. Even my picky 6yr old cleaned her bowl.
Hi Alma, thanks for giving the recipe another try! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Very tasty! If you’re like me and are using reconstituted lemon juice instead of squeezing a lemon, maybe 1/4 cup instead of a 1/3 cup. Otherwise, extremely good and very easy!
I’m so excited to hear that Jessi! Thank you so much for taking time to leave this review.
I LOVE all of your recipes! Trying this one today! Cannot wait! :) THANK YOU ERIN!
You’re so sweet, Becky! Thank you! I hope you love this too.
Yummm! My son went back for thirds! . I am on a diet..or change of diet with less carbs and clean foods. I made this in a smaller crockpot with 4 cups of broth. No rice but used garlic and herb seasoning. (Has basil in it) and soften the onions with some celery. Every thing else same as recipe but made it with two garlic cloves and one tablespoon dill. It’s perfect. Just delicious as it is.
Thank You!
Sherry, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review and share your tweaks. I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
So thrilled to have found your blog as I also live in Milwaukee! Since our weather was a bit chilly today I decided to make this in my crockpot. It turned out amazing. The fresh dill was such a perfect touch of flavor. Thanks for the recipe :)
Kacie, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the soup! Thanks so much for taking the time to try it out and report back. :)
Elaine is coming over tomorrow and I’m cooking this for dinner!
This sounds perfect! Have a wonderful time.