LEMON CHICKEN SOUP WITH ORZO

The base is smooth, creamy, and velvety… without cream. But even though it’s creamy, it’s also still brothy enough to slurp, like any good Chicken Noodle-y type soup should be. It’s salty and rich from the chicken, but that punch of lemon is life-giving in a way that regular Chicken Noodle just can’t touch.

And while most brothy soups leave you wanting a sandwich an hour later, this guy is chunky, with fresh vegetables, chicken, and whole wheat pasta, leaving you feeling like you just ate a real meal. Because you did.

To me, the fact that this is whole wheat orzo is essential to the soup-counts-as-a-meal thing. It is robust and substantial and filling whereas regular orzo tends to just… fade away. Plus, it’s a Sugar Free January friendly way to enjoy pasta for those of us (me!) who are trying to avoid overdoing it on the refined grains.

LEMON CHICKEN SOUP WITH ORZO RECIPE
Filling, fresh, and vibrant lemony chicken soup made creamy with NO CREAM and a secret ingredient! Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.



INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• half of an onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8-10 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup DeLallo whole wheat orzo
• 3-ish cups cooked chicken (I use shredded rotisserie chicken)
• 3 eggs
• juice of 3-4 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
• a handful of fresh spinach
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• lots of freshly ground pepper
• as much fresh dill as you can handle

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Base: Heat large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic. Saute until fragrant and tender, about 10 minutes. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.)
2. Orzo: Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the orzo and cook for a few minutes until softened. Stir in the chicken and remove from heat.
3. Eggs: Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a small bowl. The idea here is to warm up the egg mixture slowly (without scrambling the eggs). Slowly add a scoop of the soup into the egg mixture. Then add your warmed egg mixture back to the soup pot – slowly, slowly, slowly, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy. 
4. Final touches: Finish by stirring in your spinach, salt, pepper, and dill and adjust seasonings to taste!

NOTES

• Broth: If you like a chunkier soup, go for 8 cups of broth. If you like a more brothy soup, go for 10 cups.

• Leftovers: This works great as leftovers. The orzo likes to soak up that moisture, so you might just have to thin it out a bit as you reheat.

• Eggs: If you add your egg mixture to the soup when it’s too hot, the eggs will scramble! It’s gross. Don’t do that. To help your soup cool down more quickly in preparation for the egg mixture, you can stir in a few ice cubes. 

• Vegetarian: You could easily make this vegetarian by using white beans or another vegetarian protein in place of the chicken.

Recipe Adapted : LEMON CHICKEN SOUP WITH ORZO @ pinchofyum

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