Herbed Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup

Coming at you with a new recipe! I made this dish when I knew I wanted something that was similar to chicken noodle soup, but with a bit more texture and taste and something that was heartier than your average chicken noodle soup.

This soup is easy, and all cooked in the same pot! It starts off with a basic mirepoix (French for the onion/carrot/celery team that starts off many soups) and can be made with or without chicken! It's delicious and hearty either way. I hope you try this out!

Herbed Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup

HERBED LEMON CHICKEN AND ORZO SOUP
Yields: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS: 
- olive oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 to 2 chicken breasts, cut in half down the middle then cut into cubes
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 large stalks of celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, choppped
- 5 cups of chicken or veggie stock
- 1 cup of water
- 1 bay leaf
- heaving 3/4 cup of orzo
-1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
- juice of 2 small lemons or 1 medium lemon
- fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

TO MAKE:
1. In a large pot on medium-high heat, drizzle some olive oil and add the butter. Melt the butter down.
2. In the meantime, season the chicken cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
3. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken and cook just until the chicken is no longer pink and is slightly browned. Don't overcook the chicken during this step because it will continue to cook later on!
4. Remove the chicken once cooked and set aside in a separate bowl. Leave the chicken drippings in the pot. This will add delicious flavor to the soup!
5. Add a little more olive oil to the chicken drippings and add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook until the veggies are soft and tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir every now and then.
6. Add in the thyme and toss with the veggies. Cook the thyme for about 2 minutes.
7. Add in the stock and water. Give everything a nice stir. Bring the mixture to a boil.
8. Add in the chicken, the bay leaf, the rosemary, and the orzo after everything has boiled. Lower the heat to medium-low and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes. 
9. Stir in the lemon juice.
10. Add in the parsley just before serving. Enjoy!