Chicken Orzo Soup

Happy Food Friday! It finally feels like fall (let’s hope this weather stays). Here is a tasty spin on chicken noodle soup. I rarely use anything other than my insta pot when cooking soups, but I followed a recipe and cooked everything (except the orzo) on the stovetop! I’m listing the recipe and posting my changes in parentheses. Choose whichever option you like!

Ingredients for soup:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I prob only used 1)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 4 large carrots, finely diced (meh, I used more)
• 4 large celery stalks, finely diced (I also used more, love my veggies)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced (I used a full one)
• 2 medium russet potatoes, finely diced (I didn’t even include these!)
• 1-1.5 c mushrooms** I added this veggie to recipe
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used 3-4 large chicken breasts)
• 8 sprigs thyme, bundled
• 1.5 cups frozen peas (poured the whole bag in there)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (used half and half)

Ingredients for roux:

• 1/4 cup butter (halved this)
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

Then you need about 1-1.5c orzo

Instructions:

1. Place olive oil into a large stockpot and heat over medium/high heat.
2. Add garlic, carrot, celery, onion, and potato (and mushrooms if you use) and saute for several minutes.
3. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
4. Add broth and stir.
5. Submerge raw chicken breast in the broth and add thyme bundle.
6. Bring soup to a boil over medium/high heat.
7. Once boiling, turn heat down to low and cover. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
8. While the soup is simmering, prepare orzo. Once done, drain and set aside. *I did use insta pot for this (takes 5 minutes, how can you not!?)
9. When the soup is done simmering, remove thyme bundle from the soup.
10. Remove chicken breast from soup and shred.
11. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium/high heat.
12. Lower heat to medium heat and slowly add flour to butter. (I didn’t use full amount of flour). Mix with a whisk until mixture turns into a crumble. Remove from heat.
13. Immediately add roux to the soup and turn heat back to medium/high heat and bring to a boil. Use a wooden spoon to break up the roux, makings sure there are no chunks in the soup.
14. One boiling, turn heat off and stir in frozen peas, cooked orzo pasta, and shredded chicken and mix again.
15. Finally, add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and mix.

This recipe makes A TON of servings! I froze half and we ate the second half for several days after. I would say 12-14 servings, but the recipe gives nutrition facts for 1/8:

• Serving Size: 1/8
• Calories: 417
• Sugar: 5
• Fat: 13
• Carbohydrates: 46 (this will be much fewer without the potatoes)
• Fiber: 5
• Protein: 28

Enjoy! It is one of my new favorite soups!