Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup

​Have you ever tried the Lemon Chicken Orzo soup at Panera?  It is seriously good.  (Why is it that every time I find something at a restaurant that I REALLY like, they take it off the menu? )  Apparently lemon chicken orzo is a seasonal item and only available for a very limited time in the Fall.

What is a girl to do when her favorite soup is only available for a month?  (Make a copycat recipe of my own of course so I don't have to wait until next Fall to have some more.)  

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 large (or 3 small) carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
8 cups of fat-free low sodium chicken broth
Zest and juice (about 1/3 of a cup) of 2 lemons
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 cups orzo pasta
about 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
a couple of generous handfuls of fresh spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

​Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.  Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. 

​Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.  Add the broth, bay leaf, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to a boil. 

​Add orzo and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the orzo is tender. 

Add the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes to allow it to heat through.  Stir in spinach and allow it to wilt for about one minute.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

​When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf and serve.

This is pretty close to the original version that I had at Panera.  I might even be so bold as to say that my recipe might just be SLIGHTLY better than theirs.  It is REALLY yummy.  I tried to freeze some for another day and the orzo got a little mushy so my advice is to add the orzo later if you plan to freeze this soup.

Ciao!

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