Gluten-Free Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Gluten-Free Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is easy to make and satisfying! A velvety broth with chicken and vegetables has all the comfort of chicken noodle soup but with the brightness of lemon and dill.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 carrots
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more/less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper more/less to taste
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 5 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried dill 2 teaspoons fresh
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup gluten-free orzo
- 2 large eggs *see notes for substitution
- ½ lemon
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion, celery, and carrots. Mince the garlic. Heat large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat with the olive oil.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are tender, add the white wine and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Add the chicken, chicken broth, dill, and bay leaves to the pot. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat medium-low. Allow the soup to simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. (Check with an instant read thermometer that the chicken has reached 165°F.)
- Once cooked, remove the chicken to a plate and add the gluten-free orzo to the soup. Simmer for the amount of time indicated on the package of orzo, usually about 10-11 minutes.
- While the orzo cooks, shred the chicken and return it to the pot.
- Next, temper the eggs—whisk the eggs in a small measuring cup. Use a ladle to remove some of the warm broth from the soup, about ½ cup broth is fine. Slowly whisk it into the eggs.
- Once the orzo is tender, slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the soup while stirring continuously. Then add the spinach and juice from half of the lemon. Stir to wilt the spinach. (Also add the cornstarch mixture during this step if ommiting the eggs. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken slightly.)
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper, if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Don't overdo the lemon. Start with half a lemon and add more according to your tastes.
- If you want an extra lemony punch, add the zest from the lemon as well. Use a microplane grater to remove the zest before you cut open the lemon.
- Add more broth. If the soup is thicker than you'd like, feel free to add more broth or water to thin it out.
- Be sure to temper the eggs properly! The key is to whisk quickly while slowly adding the hot broth to the eggs. Then stir quickly while slowly adding the tempered eggs to the soup.
- Egg-Free Substitution: whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, then add to the soup along with the spinach. Allow to simmer gently until the soup has thickened slightly.
