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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup with Kale
A bright, restorative soup that relies on technique rather than heavy cream to build a satisfying broth.
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- 30 minutes
- Total
- 45 minutes
- Yield
- 6 servings
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Most chicken soups fail because the chicken is boiled until it turns to chalk, and the pasta is left to turn into mush in the pot. The solution is to poach the chicken gently in the broth, remove it to shred, and cook the orzo separately, adding it only to individual bowls. This keeps the chicken tender and the broth clear, rather than cloudy with pasta starch.
The brightness of this soup comes from a generous amount of fresh lemon juice added off the heat, which preserves its sharp, clean flavor. Kale provides a sturdy green that holds up to the hot broth without disintegrating like spinach would. A base of onions, carrots, and celery, sweated slowly in olive oil, builds a foundation of flavor that requires no heavy stock reductions.
This is a dinner that stays light but is built to keep you full, with about 32 g protein per serving and fiber from the vegetables and whole grains. Most of the 45 minutes is unattended simmering. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to four days provided the orzo is stored in a separate container, and it reheats without turning to paste. Serve it with a slice of crusty sourdough to absorb the lemony broth.
What you need
Ingredients
Measurements
Metric converts only measures that are mathematically safe. Density-dependent cups stay as Nicole wrote them.
Scale the batch
6 servings
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 bunch Lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
How it goes
Method
Read the whole thing once before you start. Nothing here is difficult, but the timing is unforgiving at the end.
Sweat the aromatics
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. This builds the flavor base without browning the vegetables.
Add garlic and broth
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Scraping the bottom of the pot ensures no flavor is left behind.
Poach the chicken
Submerge the chicken breasts in the simmering broth. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 15 minutes. Gentle poaching keeps the meat tender.
Cook the orzo separately
While the chicken poaches, bring a separate medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse briefly with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Shred the chicken
Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and transfer it to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
Wilt the kale
Stir the chopped kale into the simmering soup. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the leaves are tender and bright green. Overcooking will turn the kale a dull olive color.
Finish with lemon
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. To serve, place a scoop of cooked orzo in each bowl and ladle the hot soup over it.
On the bench
Equipment
3 of these change the result. The rest are conveniences, with a workaround given. Nothing here is a brand recommendation — the spec is what matters.
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Heavy 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven
The soup begins with a proper sear on the aromatics and chicken; a thin stockpot scorches that fond instead of building it, and burnt fond turns the whole broth bitter.
- What matters
- 5 to 6 quarts, enameled cast iron or tri-ply stainless. Wide enough to brown in a single layer.
Second small saucepan
The orzo is cooked separately and stored separately, which is the only way this soup survives day two without the pasta drinking the broth.
- What matters
- 2 to 3 quarts. Anything that boils a cup of pasta.
- Search for
- “2 quart saucepan stainless” (paid link)
Handheld citrus juicer
The finish is a large volume of fresh juice added off the heat, and a press extracts noticeably more from each lemon than squeezing by hand without carrying seeds into the pot.
- What matters
- Hinged lemon-size press in enameled aluminum or stainless.
Salad spinner or clean towel
OptionalKale carries grit that settles invisibly into the bottom of a bowl of soup. It has to be washed and dried before it goes in.
- What matters
- Any spinner with a pull cord or crank.
- If you skip it
- Wash the leaves in a bowl of cold water, lift them out rather than pouring, and pat dry in a towel.
- Search for
- “salad spinner large” (paid link)
The list
What to buy
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Cook's notes
What we would tell a friend
- Store the soup and the cooked orzo in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This prevents the pasta from absorbing all the broth and becoming mushy.
- If you prefer a different green, Swiss chard works well, but add it only 2 minutes before serving as it wilts faster than kale.
- To make this ahead, prepare the soup through step 3, shred the chicken, and refrigerate. Reheat gently and proceed with adding the kale and lemon juice just before serving.
- Do not boil the soup after adding the lemon juice, as high heat can turn the fresh citrus flavor bitter.
From the kitchen
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