Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Sauté the vegetables
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes, stirring until softened and glossy.
Build the broth
- Add minced garlic and dried thyme and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, without browning.
- Pour in chicken broth and add chicken breast, then simmer for 18 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Shred and cook the orzo
- Remove the chicken from the pot, shred it, and return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- Add orzo pasta and cook for 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Add the lemon (avgolemono optional)
- For avgolemono style, whisk eggs with fresh lemon juice, then slowly ladle hot broth into the eggs while whisking, and stir the mixture back into the pot.
- For regular style, stir in fresh lemon juice and lemon zest directly into the soup.
Finish and season
- Add baby spinach and cook just until wilted, then stir in chopped fresh dill.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer briefly so the flavors come together.
Notes
For a creamy avgolemono texture, temper the eggs by ladling in hot broth slowly while whisking so they don’t scramble. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat gently on low to avoid curdling. Freezing is not recommended for the egg-lemon style, but regular-style leftovers (without eggs) can be frozen up to 2 months. For a lighter version, use half the olive oil and add extra broth if you prefer a thinner soup.