Lemon Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cup carrots (diced)
• 1 cup onion (finely chopped)
• 0.5 cup celery (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp garlic (minced; about 3 cloves)
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 0.5 tsp dried parsley
• 0.25 tsp dried thyme
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup dry orzo pasta
• 0.5 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Steps

1. 1

   Stovetop — In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes.

2. 2

   Add the black pepper, dried parsley, dried thyme, salt, bay leaves, chicken breasts, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.

3. 3

   Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil; this should take about 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. 5

   Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Remove the chicken breasts and set them aside. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

6. 6

   Add the orzo and stir. Cook it for half the cooking time recommended on the package.

7. 7

   While the orzo cooks, shred the chicken breasts using two forks.

8. 8

   When the orzo has cooked for half its recommended package time, remove the soup from the heat. The pasta will continue cooking as the soup cools.

9. 9

   Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.

10. 10

    Slow cooker — In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes.

11. 11

    Transfer the sautéed vegetables to the slow cooker. Add the black pepper, dried parsley, dried thyme, salt, bay leaves, chicken breasts, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.

12. 12

    Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4–6 hours.

13. 13

    While the soup cooks, bring a separate pot of water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package directions.

14. 14

    Remove the chicken breasts and set them aside. Shred them using two forks. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

15. 15

    Add the shredded chicken, lemon juice, and cooked orzo to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

16. 16

    Instant Pot — Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode for 5 minutes. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.

17. 17

    Add the black pepper, dried parsley, dried thyme, salt, bay leaves, chicken breasts, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.

18. 18

    Cover the Instant Pot, set the valve to sealing, and select Soup or Pressure Cook for 12 minutes.

19. 19

    Allow the pot to come to pressure and cook. It should take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, but may take longer if the broth is cold.

20. 20

    While the soup cooks, bring a separate pot of water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package directions.

21. 21

    Once the soup has cooked, quick-release the pressure.

22. 22

    Remove the chicken breasts and set them aside. Shred them using two forks. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

23. 23

    Add the shredded chicken, lemon juice, and cooked orzo to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.

24. 24

    For firmer pasta with any method, cook the orzo separately and add it directly to each bowl when ready to eat.

Notes

The stated total time is 1 hour; slow-cooker and Instant Pot durations are provided separately in their method instructions. For firmer pasta, cook it separately and add it to each bowl at serving. The source says to cook pasta according to package directions but does not specify a water quantity.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• main
• comfort food
• stovetop
• slow cooker
• Instant Pot
• lemon
• contains gluten