Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup with Fennel and Dill
A fun twist on chicken noodle, this soup is savory, cozy & comforting. It's full of tender chicken & hearty orzo and brightened up with fresh lemon & dill.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast, diced into small pieces, or 2-3 cups cooked diced chicken
- 8 cups chicken broth
- ½ lb carrots, peeled and diced into about ½ inch pieces
- 1 bulb fresh fennel, diced into about ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced into about ½ inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high. Add chicken, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. (If using already cooked chicken, skip this step and proceed to step 2.)
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add carrots, fennel, onion, garlic, orzo and another ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Continue to boil and cook until orzo and vegetables are tender (usually about 10 minutes, but check orzo package for recommended cooking time). Remove from heat.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together lemon juice and eggs. Ladle out about a cup of broth from the soup, avoiding the vegetables and orzo. Slowly pour the hot broth into the lemon juice/egg mixture, whisking constantly. Slowly pour the broth/egg mixture back into the soup, stirring constantly. Note: Do this step slowly! The goal is to gradually warm up the eggs to give the broth a slightly thicker, creamy texture. Going too quickly will just scramble the eggs - which is not yummy!
- Stir in reserved chicken and chopped dill. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from/inspired by WW Chicken and Orzo Soup with Fennel.