Greek Chicken Orzo Soup
This Greek Chicken Orzo Soup is comfort food made in the slow cooker. This delicious soup has a Greek twist and is packed full of flavour.
Disclosure: I am participating in the Chicken Farmers of Canada campaign managed by SJ Consulting. I received compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.
It’s been a rough week. We had an unexpected death in the family over Thanksgiving and I’m struggling to cope. I’m not really in the mood for preparing big elaborate meals and having been turning to comfort foods made in my slow cooker. The Chicken Farmers of Canada is one of my go-to sites for recipes and they have an entire section filled with slow cooker recipes. I made one of their slow cooker soups and it was well loved by my family. It’s filled with the nourishment we need to feel better both physically and emotionally. There’s something special about a hot bowl of chicken soup. It has an instant calming effect.
Ingredients
The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Leeks
- Garlic
- Red pepper
- Bay leaf
- Cinnamon
- Red chili pepper flakes
- Fresh dill
- Diced tomatoes
- Chicken broth
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Salt
- Orzo
- Frozen spinach
How to Make Greek Chicken Orzo Soup
- Step One: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper and saute another few minutes. Add to slow cooker.
- Step Two: Add chili pepper flakes, dill weed sprigs, bay leaf, cinnamon, tomatoes with juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and chicken broth and stir to combine. Add chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
- Step Three: Cook the orzo in a saucepan on the stove. Drain. During last 15 minutes of cooking, add orzo and spinach to soup. Remove dill sprigs and bay leaf. Stir. Serve hot.
This recipe is a twist on the classic chicken noodle soup. It has Greek flavours of dill and lemon and uses orzo instead of regular noodles. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the bone-in variety because that’s what I had on hand. I think any cut of chicken would work well. If you use a bone-in chicken, just make sure to remove the bones after you cook.
You can really taste the lemon and dill with each spoonful. I cut up some pita bread instead of making pita crisps (I was feeling lazy). It worked well in the recipe and was great for dipping.
The soup is not short on flavour. They mingle together perfectly. This recipe is a keeper and one that I’m adding to my regular dinner rotation.
Did you know that Canadian chicken is grain-fed and free of hormones and steroids? To be sure you are buying Canadian chicken, look for the mark. It’s a “Raised by a Canadian Farmer” logo that is found on your package of chicken. Not all stores have it yet so if it’s something that is important to you, make sure to talk to the store manager to tell them you’d love to see it.
You might also like this Chicken and Lime Soup, Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, Spicy Sausage Soup, Pizza Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs, Minestrone Soup or Busy Day Soup.
You’ll also like Bean with Bacon Soup, Rosemary Chicken Noodle Soup, Hamburger Soup, Chicken Fajita Soup and Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken & Rice Soup.
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Greek Chicken Orzo Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup leeks chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp hot red chili pepper flakes
- 4 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 can diced tomatoes 28oz can
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup orzo uncooked
- 1 package frozen spinach 10oz package, thawed
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper and saute another few minutes. Add to slow cooker.
- Add chili pepper flakes, dill weed sprigs, bay leaf, cinnamon, tomatoes with juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and chicken broth and stir to combine. Add chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
- Cook the orzo in a saucepan on the stove. Drain. During last 15 minutes of cooking, add orzo and spinach to soup. Remove dill sprigs and bay leaf. Stir. Serve hot.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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I really like making curry in the slow cooker! Thanks
First of all I would like to say Sorry to hear about your loss, I have been there and I know it is difficult especially it happened on one of very special occassion and that’s so very hard, so please take it easy. Mine happened on the when our famiy moved to canada and that’s over Christmas and the bad thing I can’t even get home….yes that’s the sad part ot be away. Ok I am chaingong my topic then…yes when I am down I resort to cooking…..you can find me in my kitchen. Here’s my favorite recipe the Asian chicken wings…
https://www.chicken.ca/recipes/cat/4/asian
Ok, take care and need to look back the good things in life…
The Chicken Jerk Wraps with Lime Mayo looks delicious!
my fav slow cooker recipe chicken cacciatore
I love slow cooker enchiladas, so yummy!
The Spanish Chicken looks like a delight!
We love slow cooker chicken fajitas. They are really great because they are simple, they cook themselves, the kids love them and the next day we put on top of pasta and have chicken fajita pasta. Definitely our favourite.
The BBQ Chicken over Apple Maple Baked Beans looks delicious.
Shredded chicken tacos!
Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore tops my list.
My favourite would be chicken and rice
My favorite slow cooker dish is pulled pork tenderloin!
This is next on the list: Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken
Love the BBQ chicken on apple maple baked beans. Great comfort food!
My condolences for your loss! There are no words that take away the pain but sending you my thoughts and prayers! I do chicken and dumplings a lot in my slow cooker! Delish! TC
So sorry to hear about your loss. We at the moment are dealing with a palliative care situation for my father. I also made a pot of chicken noodle soup, So delicious and easy to heat up for a comforting quick meal.
I rather enjoy homemade chicken soup in the slow cooker
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. I hope you and your family are able to find peace at this tough time 🙁
For me, my favourite chicken slow cooker dish is pulled bbq chicken.
My go-to slow cooker chicken recipe is a Red Thai Curry with lots of coconut. Super yummy.
The soup I will make. I love the Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken. My family will love it.