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
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
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.
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see it! Make sure to share it on your favorite social platform.
Want Even More Recipes?
Join Moms Best Recipes to find more delicious family recipes.
free ebook!
The Best of Simply Stacie
When you subscribe to the newsletter for the latest updates!
Chicken Chili
A go-to fave in our house is simply boneless chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, onion, garlic….and let it brew! Smells so good and tastes even better! Everyone loves it….serve over rice with the juice from cooking.
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken looks good
I like to make chicken chili. same as normal chili but with ground chicken as my daughter in law has hemachromatosis and has to watch her iron consumption
I love to make bbq pulled chicken sandwiches. The whole family loves them!
I would love to make slow cooker chipotle chicken
I would like to try the Easiest Ever Southwestern Dinner recipe.
My fave is my hubby’s chicken and dumplings – yum!
4 ingredient slow-cooker dinner: Slow-Cooker Smothered French Onion Chicken. thanks
my favorite slow cooker meal is pulled pork
My favourite is Comforting & Easy Chicken & Dumplings.
From the website, I’d love to try the Tuscan chicken in a pesto wine sauce – YUM! Thanks for the chance to win an AMAZING prize!
We love to make Orange chicken, so delicious!
The Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew sounds yummy.
My favorite slow cooker recipe is the Cowboy Chicken Chili Casserole because we love Chili
The Slow-Cooker Smothered French Onion Chicken sounds delicious. I also love sweet and sour recipes but couldn’t find a recipe for that made in a slow cooker unfortunately.
I would love to try the Peanut Butter Chicken Wraps recipe.Â
The Comforting & Easy Chicken & Dumplings recipe on chicken.ca looks amazing. I will have to try it someday.
My favourite is the Asian Greens and Chicken.
Cowboy Chicken Chili Casserole sounds absolutely fabulous