Some Notes:

This has become one of my most go to recipes. It’s an absolute comfort food for my me and my partner. Its easy, takes about 30 minutes and is so so delicious.

I originally found this recipe from saltandlavender, but have spruced it up a bit to make it my own and fit my preferences.

Some tips about the recipe:

I usually make my own chicken stock from scratch. It’s easy to do, is far more flavor-able than store bought stock, more cost effective, and becomes a staple in the freezer for all things cooking. If you want more information on making your own stock, find my super easy stock recipe.

Slice ALL your vegetables before you even start. This makes the entire process so much faster and the cooking process far easier so you’re not running around your kitchen looking for one ingredients while the vegetables start burning. Nobody wants that. Have your chicken ready to go and your orzo at the ready.

When cooking the chicken in the soup, NEVER let it boil! This was something I did not know was a bad thing. Have you ever had chicken thats super dry and stringy even though you cooked it in liquid? And you wonder how thats even possible? I could dive into the science behind why this happens, but basically boiling chicken causes it to cook to quickly and it becomes tough, dry, and stringy. Let your chicken simmer for about 12 minutes then TAKE IT OUT of the pot before you boil the orzo. Yes you will actually remove the chicken and let it rest while you finish the soup.

Allowing the chicken to rest also lets the meat to relax and give you better texture and flavor.