This easy chicken soup recipe with pesto and orzo is perfect for busy weeknights. Ready in 30 minutes.
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Chicken noodle soup! The best. Especially in winter. Because winter sucks. And I hate it. But you know this already.
The only good thing about winter is soup. Lots and lots and lots of soup. Soup that you can’t always eat in the summertime because sometimes its a million degrees outside and if you eat soup you feel like you’re boiling yourself from the inside out. Not pleasant. But I often do it anyway.
And THIS SOUP. YOU GUYS. I’ve made it at least once a week since the snow started to hit. Which was a long time ago. Which is a testament to how much I’m obsessed with this soup.
The other testament to this soup’s deliciousness is that it’s one of the very, very few recipes on this blog that Kyle hasn’t taste-tested. Because every time I make it I can’t control myself and eat the whole thing before he gets home from work. BECAUSE IT’S JUST SO SIMPLE AND YET SO PERFECT AND I CAN’T EVEN. (Sorry, Kyle).
The pesto and orzo give chicken noodle soup such a fun and fresh twist, and the little bit of lemon juice just makes the whole thing sing. Five ingredients and some salt and pepper are all you need. It’s super simple. It’s ready in half an hour. But quick and simple makes for the best food, I think. No muss, no fuss. And this soup hits the spot every time.
- In a large pot, bring chicken stock to a simmer, covered, over medium heat
- Add cooked chicken, orzo, pesto, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Cook, uncovered, until orzo is al dente (about 8 minutes).
- Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
I love it! I added more lemon juice along with celery,green peppers and onions. I also put a little Parmesan and crushed red pepper when cooking. A smidge of garlic powder. Phenomenal. Thank you!
Hi Brianna, those additions sound wonderful! Thanks!
Why can’t you cook the chicken in the stock?
You certainly can! Sometimes people just have the ingredients prepared separately (from meal prep earlier in the week, a rotisserie chicken, leftovers, etc.) but feel free to adapt however you like!
I’m excited to try this! Did you make the pesto, or do you recommend a certain brand to buy?
I make my own pesto, but some delis or grocery stores have house-made pesto available that often tastes pretty good!
Just finished making this recipe for the first time and had half a bowl (trying to patiently wait for my family). This is by far my new favorite soup and it’s so easy. Thanks so much for sharing!!
I’m so happy you like it!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
I’ve made this twice now and it is delicious!! Thank you for sharing, this one is definitely going into my regular soup recipes =D
I’m so happy you liked it, Laura! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Fabulous! So easy to make. I sometimes add rice of differing varieties to make it more like chicken and rice.
Thanks, Brenda! I love the idea of adding some wild rice to this soup 🙂 It’s one of my favorites!
If you hold off topping the soup with parmesan do you think this refrigerates well until a little later? But I forget..this soup is never around that long 😉
If you’d like to save it, I’d definitely hold off on topping with parmesan. I generally don’t like to save this soup, though, because when you reheat it the orzo tends to get overcooked. You could always put the broth/chicken/pesto/etc. together in advance and then bring it to a simmer, add orzo, & cook when you’re ready to eat it – hope that helps!
I was sick yesterday and made this soup. It is the BEST chicken soup I have ever ate!!! I used couscous and store bought pesto. I would like to try making it the crockpot. Thank you SO much.
I’m so happy to hear that! I think I’ve made this soup at least once a week all winter – I can’t stop eating it! It works fine in the crockpot as well – the only thing is the orzo can tend to get a little overcooked, which for me is a little annoying. But still, super easy and tasty! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out (and I hope you’re feeling better!)
I agree, the ONLY good thing about winter is soup, especially when it includes soup like this! Looks delish!