Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
To accompany our salads with the basil vinaigrette, we had a nice hot bowl of soup to keep us warm during these chilly, Baltimore nights. It was light and complimented the salad perfectly.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
5 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 sprig rosemary
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water; bring to a boil.
Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Chris' rating: 4.5/5. My hubby had 2 servings and then ate two more servings the next night for dinner so I would say that he enjoyed it!