Big Big Servings of Chicken Orzo Soup

I got too greedy again and ended up with a giant pot of chicken orzo soup. So if you're trying to find a one pot recipe to feed a big family, this is it. No need to look somewhere else, I promise this recipe will be be enough to feed even ten people at once.

Chicken orzo soup - 

Ingredients (about 8 big bowls)?

• 1 pack/500 grams orzo
• 2 big pieces chicken breasts
• 1 big onion
• 1 big stalk celery
• 1 large carrot
• 1 lemon
• 1 small bundle flat leaf parsley
• 1 box baby salad greens
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

How?

Basically just the so called mirepoix so destem and cube the celery, peel and cube the carrot, peel and cube the onion. As for other ingredients, peel and chop the garlic cloves, finely chop the parsley.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a big pot, I used a Dutch oven. Switch to medium heat and wait till warm up a bit. Add in chopped celery, carrot, and onion. Also add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.

Mix once a while and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add in chopped garlics. Continue to cook for couple more minutes.

Pour in 8 cups of chicken stock plus 4 cups of water. Also add 2 bay leaves. Turn up the heat a little.

Add in whole chicken breasts and cook in slightly bubbling stock till fully cooked through. Remove the meat from the pot and wait till cool down a little. Use a fork to shred the chicken.

As for the soup, add in orzo after removing the chicken breasts. Use medium heat and cook till the orzo reaches desired texture. Mine took about 10 minutes.

Grate in the zest of one lemon then squeeze in half of the lemon juice. You can use whole lemon juice depending on taste preference.

Add the baby salad greens, also add the shredded chicken back to the pot. Just a quick mix, the leafy greens should be wilted pretty fast. Taste and adjust with any seasonings if needed. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt here.

Once flavor has been checked. If you can find the bay leaves, pick them out. Add in half of the chopped parsley and give the soup and quick stir.

Scoop the chicken orzo soup to serving bowls and garnish with some of the remaining chopped parsley. You can also crack more black pepper on top for additional spicy note.

If you can't find baby salad greens, any sort of soft leafy greens or even tender peas will do. I simply add the leafy greens for nutritional values, nothing else. 

By the way, if you happen to have leftovers, remember the orzo might continue to soak in the stock. That means you might have to pour in more chicken stock during the reheating process. 

I personally don't mind eating not as soupy orzo soup. In fact, I actually enjoyed the leftover chicken orzo soup without any additional liquid. I even paired that with spicy sausages on the side, like one extra side dish to enjoy together.

Extended reading:

• Dairy-free chorizo and colorful bell pepper orzo