Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup

Name: Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Chicken Breast 1 lb; Salt; Black pepper; Olive oil 2 ½ tbsp; Carrots 1 ½ cups; Celery 1 ½ cups; Yellow onions 1 ½ cups; Garlic 5 cloves; Chicken broth 7 cups; Dried oregano 1 ½ tsp; Dried basil ½ tsp; Dried rosemary ½ tsp; Orzo pasta 1 cup; Parmesan rind 1; Lemon zest 1 ½ tsp; Lemon juice ⅓ cup; Swiss chard 3 oz; Parmesan cheese 1 cup shredded

fresh, flavorful and filling

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Like 8
40m
Serves 8
Medium
(1)

Ingredients

Adjust Servings:

	1 lb Chicken Breast boneless, skinless
	Salt
	Black pepper freshly ground
	2 ½ tbsp Olive oil divided
	1 ½ cups Carrots chopped
	1 ½ cups Celery chopped
	1 ½ cups Yellow onions chopped
	5 cloves Garlic minced
	7 cups Chicken broth
	1 ½ tsp Dried oregano
	½ tsp Dried basil
	½ tsp Dried rosemary
	1 cup Orzo pasta dried
	1 Parmesan rind
	1 ½ tsp Lemon zest
	⅓ cup Lemon juice fresh
	3 oz Swiss chard 3 packed cups, roughly chopped
	1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

Nutritional information

395

Calories

12g

Fat

41g

Carbohydrates

28g

Protein

58mg

Cholesterol

514mg

Sodium

Cuisine:

Italian Recipes

Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup recipe

This Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup is a fantastic filling meal that is somewhere between a stew and a soup – a stew if you like! It’s full of veggie, herby and chickeny goodness. I use an Italian technique to add a deeper flavor to this soup by adding some parmesan rind to the orzo when it’s cooking. This allows the cheesy umami to infuse the broth. Delicious!

In this recipe I start by searing the chicken which brings extra flavor. Then I start to assemble the soup by first frying the veggies and then pouring in stock, herbs and salt before adding chicken, orzo and parmesan rind. At the end of the cooking process I remove the parmesan rind, add some chard and the secret ingredient: zest and juice of a lemon.

To make Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingridiens for Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup

So, how do you make Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup?

Steps to make Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup

1

Prepare the chicken

5

Pound each chicken breast until it is about ½ inch thick. Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
2

Sear the chicken

5

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until it has browned lightly all over.
3

Set the chicken aside

Remove the chicken and set to one side. Leave the remaining oil in the pot.
4

Sauté the onion, carrots and celery

4

Add the onion, carrots and celery to the oil and fry them for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute.
5

Add broth and herbs

1

Add the chicken broth to the pot along with the basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6

Simmer

5

Chop chicken into little pieces. then return it to the soup pot and allow it to come to a simmer.
7

Add orzo and parmesan rind

10

Stir in the orzo and the parmesan rind. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
8

Remove the parmesan rind

1

Keep the soup on the heat. Remove the parmesan rind. Discard it.
9

Add the lemon and chard

5

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and chard, simmer for another 5 minutes.
10

Serve

Serve this soup warm with some Parmesan cheese on top to garnish.

This Lemon Chicken and Chard Orzo Soup recipe is a delicious, fresh and healthy soup. Try it out soon and don’t forget to come back here and leave a review for me.

About the author

Dasha Vakulova

Dasha is an enthusiastic and cheerful mom. She knows as well as any parent that children can be really picky when it comes to food. And she’s had plenty of experience trying to cook meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and able to satisfy the tastes of a fussy kid right away! To save you some precious time, Dasha is going to share with you all the tricks she learned the hard way, so you don’t have to! She has a wealth of recipes for quick and easy meals for kids and families on a budget.