Wholesome and hearty, this chicken orzo soup is a cozy meal that can be whipped up in no time. With ingredients you likely already have, it's a go-to for stress-free dinners.

A ladle scooping chicken and orzo soup out of a large black saucepan.

This easy chicken orzo soup is one of those recipes that involves rummaging around in your fridge and pantry for some staple items: chicken breasts, orzo pasta, crushed tomatoes, carrots and so forth. Nothing fancy. Just good, hearty comfort food.

And if you love the ease of cooking with orzo in soups and pasta dishes, try these recipes: Mushroom Orzo "Risotto", One Pot Orzo with Shrimp and Peas and Lemon Orzo Salad.

Chicken and pasta soup in a white bowl, resting on a small wooden tray.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Ground turkey also works well in the soup.
Vegetables: Half of a yellow onion and 3 medium carrots.
Spices: A few garlic cloves, dried oregano and red pepper flakes. Adjust the red pepper flakes according to your tastebuds.
Tomatoes: Use a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
Broth: I used regular chicken broth. If sodium is a concern, replace some of the broth with a low sodium brand.
Orzo: Orzo can be found in any grocery store. Feel free to substitute with another small pasta shape, such as ditalini or small elbow macaroni.
Garnish: Minced flat-leaf parsley and fresh basil leaves. If you like, garnish each bowl with grated Parmesan cheese.

See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.

How to make chicken orzo soup

Cook the chicken: Cook the chicken breast pieces in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer it to a bowl, cover with foil and pop into a warm (low heat) oven.
Cook the vegetables: Turn the heat to medium and cook the onions and carrots until they're starting to soften. That should take about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, and cook for an additional minute. Feel free to adjust the amount of red pepper flakes (up or down) to suit your tastebuds.
Simmer: Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Turn up the heat to medium-high to bring to a boil, then lower to maintain a lively simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook the pasta: Stir in the orzo. It should take about 10 minutes to cook, but taste to test for doneness. While the orzo is cooking, use a wooden spoon or wooden spatula to scrape any orzo off the bottom of the saucepan. It likes to stick! 🔥 Be careful not to splash yourself with the hot liquid while doing this. 🔥
Finish it up: Add the cooked chicken, chopped parsley and basil. Serve it up with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cooked chopped chicken breast in a large saucepan with a red spoon.

Sautéed chopped carrots and onions in a large saucepan.

Pouring uncooked orzo into a pot of broth and crushed tomatoes.

Meal Prep and Storage

FRIDGE: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. If the pasta soaks up a bunch of the liquid, add a few splashes of chicken broth while reheating.

FREEZER: If you're making a batch of this soup to freeze (great for meal prepping!), I suggest leaving out the orzo pasta initially. Freezing cooked pasta in liquid tends to turn it to mush once defrosted.

Instead, make the soup as directed through Step 3 in the recipe card below and stir in the cooked chicken. Cool the soup and portion into airtight freeze containers or freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.

When you're ready to use the soup, defrost it, cook the orzo separately and stir into the soup, along with the parsley and basil.

A ladle resting in a pot of chicken tomato pasta soup.

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A pot full of chicken orzo soup, with a ladle scooping out a portion.

Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe

Wholesome and hearty, this chicken orzo soup is a cozy meal that can be whipped up in no time. With ingredients you likely already have, it's a go-to for stress-free dinners.

4.20 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entrees, Soups

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Poultry Recipes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 55

Servings: Servings

Calories: 235kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾ -inch pieces
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
½ yellow onion chopped
3 carrots cut into half-circles
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon ground oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup orzo pasta
3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
4 basil leaves thinly sliced
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving if desired

Instructions

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, salt and pepper, and sauté until just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, cover with foil and keep warm.
Turn the heat to medium and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the saucepan. Add the onions and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook at a lively simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the orzo and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Throughout cooking, scrape the bottom of the saucepan with a wooden spoon to stop the orzo from sticking. Be careful not to splash the hot liquid on yourself!
Stir in the cooked chicken, parsley and basil. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Video

Notes

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the built-in recipe card calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

This post was originally published on August 25, 2015 and updated on September 28, 2024.

Disclosure: This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!

Comments

4.20 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Ingredients and Substitutions

How to make chicken orzo soup

Meal Prep and Storage