Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a lovely holiday, I can’t believe how fast it has come and gone. After what feels like non stop eating through the month of December I decided I would make something that was light and delicious. With family here the last few days it was nice to have something in the fridge that you could grab and heat up quickly. This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is so refreshing and a change from the high calorie food we eat around the holidays. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 TBS olive oil - divided
1 LB boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch chunks
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 onion - diced
2 carrots - peeled and diced
1 stalk celery - chopped
1/2 TSP dried thyme
5 C chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3/4 C uncooked orzo pasta
1 sprig of rosemary
Juice of 1 lemon
2 TB fresh parsley leaves - chopped

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to pot, cook until golden about 2-3 minutes and set aside
Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and stir in garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Continue to cook and stir occasionally until tender about 3-4 minutes
Stir in dried thyme about 1 minute
Add chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil
Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken - reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender (about 10 minutes)
Stir in lemon juice and parsley
Season with salt and pepper to taste

http://topnotchmom.com/v2/lemonchickenorzosoup/