Lemon Chicken Soup
This recipe is a copy-cat recipe of Panera's seasonal Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup they serve in the summer. I am usually not a huge soup person unless it's cold or I'm sick, but this soup is so light and refreshing, it can be served any time of year! My mom and I ordered it one summer and then they took it off the menu, so we recreated the recipe in our own kitchen! You'll need:
- 8 oz cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 64 oz of chicken stock
- 2 lemons, juiced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 bag of spinach
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 cup orzo, parboiled
Start by chopping all vegetables and adding to medium to high heat with the olive oil. Sauté the veggies for 3-4 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, bay leaf, S&P and dried herbs to the veggies and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Next, add the chicken stock and chicken and bring to a boil. While the soup simmers, juice and zest the lemon and parboil the orzo (about half the time the instructions call for). Drain and set aside.
Add the orzo and a bag of spinach to the soup. It will only take a minute or so for the spinach to wilt down and it adds some nice color to the dish! The pasta will continue cooking all the way through at this point, but check before serving. Toast a baguette, remove the bay leaf and serve with bread and extra slices of lemon. Enjoy!!
Quick Tip: If you are making a dish like this and get unexpected company, add another carton of chicken stock, pinch more of S&P and another squeeze of lemon and you're good to go! {Cheap way of making the soup feed more guest!}
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