It’s easy to make copycat Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup at home without a lot of work or time! It’s a light, delicious soup that is warm and comforting on a chilly night!
Light, citrus soup recipe inspired by Panera’s Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup!
First, I should probably start this post by saying that I am a little bit of a Panera fan girl! If we could afford it, I could basically eat there everyday.
I love it because I can always find something I would enjoy.
Whether I’m looking for a warm comforting soup on a cold night or a diabetic friendly recipe while pregnant with one of my kiddos or just looking for a light salad for lunch on the go, there is always something to enjoy!
However, my budget doesn’t allow me to eat there all the time which means I need to come up with homemade soups I can enjoy instead.
I started with making homemade loaded potato soup – also in the slow cooker, by the way! Though I will admit I cheat and still purchase Panera bread bowls in which to serve it.
Then, I started creating this recipe for homemade Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. It’s a lighter soup that is super refreshing from the citrus flavors in the broth.
Seriously, if you’ve never had it, you will love it!
In fact, you should definitely make this when you are sick instead of your traditional chicken noodle soup. The lemon is far more restorative!
WHAT IS ORZO?
Just in case you might not know what orzo is, because I certainly didn’t a few years back, I’ve got you covered!
Orzo PASTA – that’s right, Orzo is pasta – is made with semolina flour. It looks like rice, it sort of tastes like rice honestly, but it’s pasta.
The fact that it is pasta also means that it is not gluten free which is an incredibly important distinction for some of you and your guests.
It’s a really sturdy pasta overall, which makes it great for additions to soups like this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup because it won’t get mushy.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP?
First, you will be cooking the chicken in chicken broth and seasonings in your slow cooker to make the base of your soup.
Then, in the last 30 minutes before you are ready to enjoy, you will remove the chicken to shred or chop.
Place your chicken back into the slow cooker with the Orzo pasta, lemon juice and celery for 30 minutes or until tender.
Taste to adjust any seasonings to your specific preferences, especially salt, and enjoy!
ITEMS HELPFUL FOR MAKING SLOW COOKER SOUP:
Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker With Temperature Probe – This has been my slow cooker for over seven years, and I definitely put it to work a lot for our family and for this blog. It’s reliable, easy to use and easy to customize as needed.
Hamilton Beach Travel Case & Carrier Insulated Bag – If you need to take your slow cooker anywhere, you should consider getting an insulated bag.
It just makes it a lot easier to carry and with less risk of a mess or any accidental burnings from transporting a hot slow cooker.
Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners 2 Pack – My husband loves when I remember to throw one of these in because it makes clean up SO much easier!
I often forget when I am just making dinner for us but I never forget during holiday prep.
Pulled Pork Shredder Claws – These definitely aren’t needed since I relied on using two forks for a very long time, but I do love them! It makes shredding meat much faster which is always a win in my book.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE OTHER SOUP RECIPES:
- ONE POT THREE CHEESE LASAGNA SOUP
- SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
- ENTIRELY MADE IN THE SLOW COOKER FRENCH ONION SOUP
- SLOW COOKER LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP
- SLOW COOKER LOADED POTATO SOUP
- 10 MINUTE CLAM CHOWDER
- HEARTY SLOW COOKER CORN CHOWDER
TIME TO GET A BATCH OF REFRESHING LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP IN THE SLOW COOKER!
SLOW COOKER LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP
This light and refreshing slow cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe is a copycat Panera soup recipe that is delicious all year long and serves as a great substitute to your traditional chicken noodle soup!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8 cups of chicken broth (I prefer low sodium)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons dill
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 3/4 cup dry orzo
- 3 stalks of celery, sliced
Instructions
In a slow cooker place chicken breast, garlic, black pepper, parsley, dill, bay leaf, lemon zest, onion, carrots and chicken broth. Cook for 5 hours on high or for 8 hours on low
Remove the chicken and either shred or chop. Place back into slow cooker. Then add orzo pasta, lemon juice and celery. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Taste to adjust any seasonings as needed and enjoy!
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Denise says
mmm. . . This soup looks good. Think I’ll give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
The lemon in this makes me hope spring is right around the corner, but until then, I’ll have to try this soup!
aimee @ like mother like daughter says
This looks delicious! I love that its made in the slow cooker!
Yvonne [Tried and Tasty] says
Um, I love everything lemon – so you’re speaking to my heart girl! This soup looks all sorts of warm and comforting. What a great addition to the list – thanks for a great recipe!