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.
Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.
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 have a slowcooker salsa recipe that is fantastic.
I don’t really have a favorite I love them all. But if I had to choose. I would say the classic slow cooker traditional chicken noodle soup
Favorite slow cooked chicken is chicken, rice and cream of mushroom soup
Dear Stacie,Â
I am so sorry for your loss. Your recipes look so amazing I am definitely going to try them all. You have a beautiful family.Â
chicken tortilla soup is one of my favorites. It’s really good on a cold day!
Slow cooked chicken strogenoff is delicious, flexible, and pretty hard to mess up.
The Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken looks absolutely delish! my mouth is watering looking at the dish
The Broccoli, Bocconcini & Chicken Salad looks inviting
We love slow cooker whole chicken with a homemade BBQ Sauce with Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Veggies. Delicious !!
I haven’t cooked many chicken recipes in my slow cooker, but I think I’d do a pulled chicken, based on my pulled pork recipe.
I love chicken and rice soup. Always a favourite around here.
Orange Chicken
Chicken Marrakesh is a family favourite for us.
Braised Chicken with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes sounds amazing
I would choose the Chicken and Sweet Potato stew at my crockpot favorite. It certainly looks delicious. Thank you for being so generous in the sharing of your recipes.
After reading the introduction to this post, I would like to say how sorry I am about the loss in your family. Death is hard at any time, but unexpected death adds shock to the sorrow. Please know that my prayers are going your way for you and your loved ones. Hugs.
I think Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew would be a winner. The recipe sounds like one. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us.
I like the recipe for Amazing Orange Chicken.
This BBQ Chicken over Apple Maple Baked Beans looks amazing! I’m putting it on my menu this week.
Love buttered chicken in the crock pot