Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup with Spinach

Creamy yet light lemon chicken orzo soup is the coziest one pot wonder! This vibrant meal in a bowl packs a major flavor punch thanks to plenty of veggies, tender chicken breast, perfectly cooked orzo, dried dill, fresh lemon juice, dill, and silky cashew cream. Done in under an hour!

This soup truly brings to the table everything I crave when it's chilly outside: comforting creaminess without feeling heavy, super duper filling (hello, 30g protein!), bright flavors, and totally foolproof to make.

True story: the first time I made this, I devoured a bowl and my husband proceeded to *immediately* polish off the leftovers. Obviously I rushed to make another batch and this recipe for chicken orzo soup officially became our obsession.

And yes, if you've made my beloved creamy lemon orzo soup with chickpeas, think of this as its cousin once removed! https://library.stamforduniversity.edu.bd/

The lowdown from recipe testing

• Cashews: I developed this recipe with cashew cream because there's something about combining zippy lemon and dill with a creamy element that is flavor bliss. I never have heavy cream on hand but I ALWAYS have cashews. Whizzing them in the blender with water makes the most fantastic (and healthy!) stand in. It's the same trick I use in my cream of chicken and wild rice soup.
• Dill: Most recipes for lemon chicken orzo soup call for parsley but I went a different route because hello, lemon and dill are a match made in heaven. I actually tested this sans dill and believe me when I say, dill makes the soup.
• Lemon: I was worried the lemon juice would curdle the soup but nope, it just added the most incredible bright flavor that complements the cashew cream in the best way.
• Chicken: I really love cooking raw chicken breast in the soup because it adds that much more umami chicken flavor. When I tested this recipe adding in rotisserie chicken at the end, it worked but I can't lie--I vastly prefer the flavor when the chicken is cooked in the soup.
• Orzo: How to keep the orzo from getting mushy you ask? It was clear in testing that adding it at the end and simmering just for 8 minutes yields the most tender, not over-done orzo. And since we have 7 cups of liquid, when it thickens after cooling it's the PERFECT thickness (versus it becoming an overly thick stew, lol).

Let's make it!

Storing leftovers

Dare I say I like the leftovers of this soup even better? It gets thicker as the orzo absorbs some broth and the texture is sublime. Not mushy and not too thick!

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Be a dear and let me know if you make this one! I can't wait to hear what you think.

Creamy Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup with Spinach

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• Author: Alexis Joseph, MS, RD
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Soups
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Incredible creamy yet light lemon chicken orzo soup is the coziest one pot wonder! This vibrant meal in a bowl packs a flavor punch thanks to lots of veggies, tender chicken breast, perfectly cooked orzo, fragrant dill, fresh lemon juice, dill, and silky cashew cream. On the table in under an hour!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth (I use water and 2 tbsp Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 tbsp dried dill
• ½ tsp turmeric, optional
• 1 ½ lb raw chicken breast (about 3 medium chicken breasts)*
• ⅔ cup orzo
• 3 cups spinach**
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper, more to taste

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Instructions

1. Place cashews in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside to soften.
2. Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add spinach, broth, dill, turmeric and chicken breast. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a shallow bowl to cool.
4. Add orzo and cook for another 8 minutes (or until orzo is tender), stirring often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Once chicken is cool, use two forks to shred it then add back to the pot.
5. Remove soup from heat. Drain cashews and add to high-speed blender with remaining 1 cup water (I use my Nutribullet) and blend until very smooth and creamy.
6. Add cashew cream to soup along with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Keep in mind the soup will thicken quite a bit and get amazingly creamy as it cools from the starch of the orzo, so don't fret if it appears thinner at first.

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Notes

*I love raw chicken breast for the best flavor here, but you can swap in 3 heaping cups shredded rotisserie chicken. In step 3, add spinach, broth, dill, and turmeric. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Proceed to step 4 and add pre-cooked chicken per the recipe.

**I prefer the texture of the spinach once its realluy cooked down, but if you want greener, less cooked spinach, simply sir it in in step 6.