Dill Chicken Soup

The kids love this creamy dill chicken orzo soup in springtime – or anytime!

It’s a great way to use chicken leftovers.

Or, I roast some seasoned chicken breasts in the oven while I prep everything else.

I seasoned these with paprika, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper. I drizzled olive oil to make sure they didn’t stick to the pan.

A super easy way to shred cooked chicken is to use the paddle attachment on the stand mixer.

Give it a whirl until it’s the desired shredded consistency.

I sliced a leek, chopped some celery and carrots. Close enough to the holy trinity of cooking: mire poix.

I sauté those up in a little butter and bacon grease.

You need a good chicken stock. We usually have some homemade chicken stock in the freezer. But we like Kitchen Basics too.

I dump in the frozen stock and put a lid on it. It melts in a just few minutes.

I prefer fresh dill, but we used dried this time.

I throw a handful of sea salt in a pot to boil the orzo al dente.

When the water has big bubbles, I dump in about a cup of orzo.

I drain the orzo and spritz on some olive oil so it doesn’t get all sticky.

The stock is melted, so I blend the vegetables with my stick blender.

The soup is hot, so be careful with the blender.

It’s all pretty now.

I add in the orzo and shredded chicken. I sprinkle in about 1 T of dill.

It smells amazing.

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Dill Chicken Soup

The kids love this creamy dill chicken orzo soup in springtime – or anytime!

Course Soup

Cuisine Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil or bacon grease
• 4-6 chicken breasts or thighs boneless, skinless
• 1 leek sliced
• 1-2 stalks celery chopped
• 1-2 carrots chopped
• 6 c chicken stock
• 1 c orzo cooked to al dente
• 1/4 c fresh dill or 1 T dry dill
• 1-2 T lemon juice

Instructions

1. Season and roast chicken breasts in oven at 350* until cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. Or use leftover rotisserie chicken.
2. Cook leek, celery, and carrot, in oil or grease, stirring often, until soft, 5-8 minutes.
3. Set water and salt to boil. Cook orzo according to instructions. Drain. Drizzle with oil so it doesn’t stick together.
4. Add broth to vegetables and bring to boil.
5. Shred chicken with stand mixer or forks.
6. Blend vegetables and broth with stick blender.
7. Add chicken, orzo, and dill to soup and warm.
8. Season with lemon, salt, and pepper.