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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My favourite chicken recipe that I’d love to try making is the Slow Simmered Vietnamese Noodle Soup.
chicken marsala is a fave here
I likebeef stew
I love roasting whole chickens in my slow cooker!
lemon grass hen
I’d like to try to Autumn stew with chicken and Apple
Slow cooked chicken strogenoff is delicious, flexible, and pretty hard to mess up
My fave is Chicken and sweet potato stew
Slow cooker salsa sounds interesting
Freshly made chicken noodle soup with veggies. Â So good and healthy. Â Â
Saucy Spanish Chicken with Green Olives sounds fantastic
chicken tortilla soup
My favourite slow cooker chicken dish is a whole roasted chicken!
The chicken over the apple maple baked beans sounds new and tasty
chicken strogenoff
My fav slow cooker chicken dish is chicken cacciatore.
Easiest ever Southwestern dinner would be my favorite
I make a Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato similar to the one on the website with a few modifications. I will try yours to compare.
I have a chicken and rice sweet and sour dish that is my go to slowcooker meal
My favourite slow cooker chicken dish is chicken with veggies.