Greek-style lemon chicken orzo soup
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
This comforting, filling chicken and orzo soup is great for batch cooking. Freeze in portions before the orzo is added for quick and easy midweek dinners that you can rustle up on busy evenings.
Each serving provides 449 kcal, 41.3g protein, 39g carbohydrate (of which 9.2g sugars), 12.8g fat (of which 3.5g saturates), 6.5g fibre and 2.61g salt.
Ingredients
For the chicken base
- 500g/1lb 2oz chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 small leeks, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1.5 litres/2½ pints chicken stock
- 2 lemons, zest and juice
- 200g/7oz orzo
- 60g/2¼oz spinach
- chopped fresh dill (optional), to garnish
- pinch dried red chilli flakes (optional), to garnish
- 1 tbsp crème fraîche (optional)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Put the chicken in a bowl and season with the paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and fry the chicken until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the carrots, leeks, garlic, oregano and turmeric to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
Pour in the stock and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the meat is pierced with a skewer. Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred it using two forks.
Add the shredded chicken back to the pan along with the lemon zest and juice from 1½ lemons. At this stage the chicken and broth can be cooled and frozen. See the recipe tips (below) for advice on how to reheat.
Alternatively, to serve straight away, add the orzo to the pan and cook for 8–10 minutes, until tender.
Stir through the spinach until wilted. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Serve in bowls with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with a sprinkling of dill, pinch of chilli flakes and some crème fraîche, if using.
Recipe tips
If planning to freeze, cool and freeze the chicken in broth before adding the orzo. To reheat, place the frozen portions in a saucepan, along with 200–250ml/7–9fl oz chicken stock or water per portion. Cover and heat gently on low until fully loosened and hot. Bring to a simmer, then follow the recipe from step 5.
