This lemon chicken orzo soup light and healthy yet super comforting. It is a such a simple soup to make. to The soup has a bright lemony broth and is packed with chicken Italian sausage meatballs, orzo pasta, cannellini beans, and kale. I guess you could call this a chicken noodle soup, but just like my Thai Red Curry Chicken & Noodle soup there is nothing ordinary about this one.

Ingredients

You can find all of the ingredients needed at your local grocery store. There will be no need for a trip to a specialty store or market.

• Chicken- Most recipes for this soup call for chicken breast, but I like it with chicken Italian sausage. You can slice the sausage, but I prefer to make mini meatballs.
• Kale- I use curly kale but Lacinato kale works well too.
• Pasta- There really isn’t a noddle in this soup. Instead I use orzo which is a rice shaped pasta.
• Beans- Cannellini are the beans of choice for their creamy texture.
• Broth- Homemade or store bought chicken broth will do.
• Aromatics and seasonings- Yellow onion, celery, garlic, fresh thyme, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt, and pepper add to the soups flavor.
• Lemon- Freshly squeezed lemon juice works best, and if you want some extra punch add some lemon zest.

Making the Soup

Before you begin making the soup, start by making meatballs from the sausage. If the chicken Italian sausage comes in links, remove the meat from the casing into a bowl. You can easily do this by squeezing the filling through a small opening on the end. Discard the casings and make mini meatballs with the filling. The size is entirely up to you, but make sure to make them similar in size. This will ensure even cooking.

Add olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Place meatballs in a single layer in the pot. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot and separate the meatballs if they start to stick together. Remove the meatballs from the pot into a bowl when they turn golden brown. In the same pot add diced onions and sliced celery. Cook until just softened (about 5 minutes). I don’t like mushy ingredients in my soup so I make sure not to overcook my ingredients.

Add in minced garlic, and cook the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add chopped fresh thyme, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pot. Give it a good stir and pour in the chicken broth. Stir in the orzo pasta and cannellini beans. Be sure to rinse and drain the beans before adding to the soup. Return the meatballs to the pot, toss in the bay leaves, and bring the soup to a boil. Place the lid on the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes (or until orzo is tender).

Add chopped kale to the pot followed by freshly squeezed lemon juice. Start with the juice of 1 lemon and add more, if needed. For extra brightness, you can also add in the zest of the lemon. Cook until the kale is just wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnishing

You can serve the soup as is and it will be wonderful. But who doesn’t like a little (or a lot) of parmesan cheese? After dividing the soup into bowls I would recommend grating some parmesan cheese right on top. If you want to get extra fancy, you can also garnish with slices of lemon.

If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and post on Instagram. Make sure to tag @blasianbonvivant and use hashtag #BBVRecipe.

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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keywords: healthy, soup

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb chicken Italian sausage casings removed
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 celery stalk thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo
• 15.5 oz cannellini beans rinsed and drained
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bunch kale chopped
• 1-2 lemons juiced
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Instructions

• Using your hands, form small meatballs with the chicken Italian sausage. Try to make them the same size to ensure even cooking.
• Drizzle olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
• Add meatballs to the pot. Do not overcrowd the pan and do not let the meatballs stick together. Cook until golden and remove from pot. This may have to be done in batches.
• Add onions and celery to the same pot. Cook until just softened (approximately 5 minutes).
• Add garlic to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
• Add thyme, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pot. Stir and pour in the chicken broth.
• Stir orzo and cannellini beans into the broth. Return meatballs to the pot, and toss in the bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil, place the lid on the pot, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.
• Add kale to the soup followed by lemon juice. Start with the juice of one lemon and as more as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place the lid back on the pot and simmer until kale is just wilted.
• Serve warm.