There is nothing better than a bowl of soup on a sunny but still cold spring day. If you have a package of orzo pasta, chicken meat and veggies I invite you to cook this refreshing, lemony and filling soup.
Jump to RecipeGreat when freshly make for dinner and easy to reheat next day for lunch with a slice of sourdough bread and avocado.
INGREDIENTS:
*3 boneless skinless chicken thighs: you can easily use chicken drumsticks or chicken breasts.
*1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee butter for more buttery taste.
*1 fresh garlic clove.
*1-2 leeks: leeks are amazing in this recipe, but yellow onion will work well too.
* 1 carrot: washed and peeled.
*¼ big orange or yellow bell pepper. If it’s small, use half of it.
* ½ cup chopped green beans
*1.5 liter of water of broth: for thinner soup use more water
*1 teaspoon vegetable better than bouillon base: I add it if I use water in place of a broth. And this is always an optional ingredient.
*½ cup organic whole wheat Orzo pasta: you can add more up to ¾ of a cup, this pasta does not expand too much.
*¼ dry oregano
*2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice: if you like more sour taste add more lemon, just be aware as soup cools down the lemon taste will become stronger.
*salt by taste if needed: using better than bullion added enough of saltiness to the soup but better always taste it at the end and add more if needed.
HOW TO MAKE THE SOUP:
- In a separate pot boil the chicken in water for 20 min or until fully cooked, internal temperature 165 F.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Cut off green leaves off the leeks and take off the outer layer of the white part if it’s hard and stringy. Dice the white part finely. Dice carrots and bell pepper. Peel one garlic clove. Trim and cut into three parts your green beans.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a big pot, add garlic and cook until slightly browned. Once browned discard it. Garlic already released all the oils and aromas. Now add leeks to the hot pot and cook for one minute or until transparent and soft. Add diced carrot and bell pepper to the pot. Cook stirring occasionally on medium-low heat for couple of minutes.
- Add water, better than bouillon, green beans and dry oregano. Cover the pot, bring soup to boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
- Once chicken is done cooking, cool it down, shred or cut the meat into bite size pieces and set aside for now.
- Now add orzo pasta to the soup. Continue cooking on medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until pasta is almost done. Turn heat on low, add chicken, lemon juice and simmer for couple of more minutes. Give it a taste, add more salt, lemon juice or black pepper by taste. Turn off the heat. Let it sit covered for 5 minutes. Pour into your favorite soup bowls and enjoy!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup With Green Beans and Leeks
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skineless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 fresh garlic clove
- 1 leek
- 1 carrot
- ¼ big orange bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped green beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil any other oil, or fat will work fine
- 1.5 liter water or broth
- 1 teaspoon better than bouillon base optional, vegetable or chicken flavor
- ½ whole wheat Orzo pasta or more if you like thiker soup
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- 2 tbso fresh lemon jiuce
- ¼ teaspoon salt ( if not using broth or bouillon base) or by taste
Instructions
- Boil chicken thighs in water for 20 minutes or until fully cooked. You can discard the water after or use it as a soup base. Cool down the chicken and shred or cut it. Put aside.
- Dice the white part of a leek, carrots, bell pepper. Peel the garlic clove. Trim and cut green beans into 3 or 4 parts.
- In your soup pot, heat up olive oil over medium heat. Add whole garlic clove (you can crush it slightly with the flat side of your knife blade), cook until slightly brown. Discard the garlic. Add leeks to the pot and cook for one minutes stirring often. Add carrots and bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Pour water or broth into the pot, add better then bouillon base, dry oregano, green beans. Cover and bring it to boil. Simmer for 10 min. Add pasta and cook until it's almost done on medium heat (5-8 minutes).
- Turn heat on low, stir in the shredded chicken into the soup, add lemon juice and simmer for few more minutes. Give it a taste and add salt, more lemon juice by taste. Turn if the heat and let it sit covered for 5 min. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply