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Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

 A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup!  A healthy and fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavors and tender orzo pasta! 

A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup!
A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup!

I can have soup always and forever.  Love the stuff.  From an ailing heart, a cruddy day at the office or when Chiberia refuses to let the warm weather come in…

It’s only January and already I am aching for the spring weather to roll on in.  I find myself wondering in the midst of all this depressing cold if the actual spring will ever make its appearance. My bright, cheery clothes are aching to be shown off and to replace the bulky sweaters and Northface jackets I have been sporting to keep my warm in the winter.  But this is Chicago…so I am betting spring may eventually roll around in May…possibly June.

And so on one such frigid day last week, I decided to stop by and get the munchkin and me some soup for a quick lunch.  Panera is always my go-to for a quick lunch.  Their soup varieties are always a great pick me up for the munchkin and me…who just so happens to love soup as much as I do.

 A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup! A healthy and fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavors and tender orzo pasta!

I do love their broccoli cheddar soup, but the fat content is just too high for this girl, who is trying to get Robo hot for her the summer…

SIDE NOTE: This was a term coined by a co-worker at work…I guess it means UBER hot…Not sure when robots became super hot…except in Austin Powers…Elizabeth Hurley was a hot robot…

SIDE NOTE 2: I created the Broccoli Cheddar Soup and it’s awesome…for those days when you are not getting Robo hot.

My version of the ever so popular Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup is loaded with flavor and comfort galore but comes together in just 30 minutes on your stovetop! Plus I have a nice tip to decrease the calories and still keep the flavor!

ANNNNNNNYWAY… I usually get the French onion soup for myself and the chicken noodle for munchkin.   But this time, I saw a nice and healthy lemon orzo soup and I knew I must instantly have it!

Both the munchkin and I gobbled up all our soup and she ended up chewing on the bread from my bread bowl when I was done.

After practically licking our plates clean, I set out to replicate my fave restaurant find at home…one of my favorite feats.  And I have to say, it is a pretty spot on duplicate.  The flavor is super bright and it almost has a velvety finish because some of the starch that escapes the orzo thickens up the soup perfectly.  It came together super quickly as well because I used some leftover rotisserie chicken breast in the fridge.

We start simply enough with a large pot and 1 tbsp of butter in it over medium heat.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

And dice up an onion.  By the way, this nifty little dough cutter is also used as a chop and scoop in my house 🙂

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

2 carrots

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

2 celery stalks

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

And add all the veggies to the pot with 3 cloves of garlic minced on a microplaner.  You want them to sweat:  Medium heat, covered with lid, no caremalization.  Let that happen for about 15 minutes until fragrant.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

Add 8 cups or 2 quarts of chicken BROTH.  Notice I say broth not stock.  Why?  Because the broth is a much lighter and more delicate flavor.  I tried this with stock and I was not as happy with the deep flavor.  It would be better with homemade broth but if your only option is store bought stick to the broth.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

Go ahead and add the juice and zest of 1.5 lemons.  I like mine super lemony so I added in the juice and zest of 2.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

Let the soup come up to a simmer.  In the meantime, measure out 1/4 a cup of orzo and chop up a handful of Italian parsley.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

Once the soup has reached a simmer, add the orzo and your shredded chicken to the soup.  If you are using raw chicken, you can just roast off the chicken for 20 minutes on 450-degrees in the oven with the skin on and bone in sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder.    Then remove the skin and shred with your fingers or two forks.  You can also cut into cubes.   You can also just add raw chicken breast to the soup when you pour in broth and shred or dice before you add in the spinach.  Whatever floats your soup boat 🙂

And then add my magic ingredient.  Better Than Bouillion. I talk about it a whole load here.  I put in 2 tablespoons.  Just whatever you do remember, it reaches its ultimate flavor when it boils.  So add, stir, allow to boil and taste.  Otherwise you can end up with a pot of salt.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

Once the orzo is cooked, about 15 minutes, turn the heat off.  Add a cup of baby spinach and the chopped parsley.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

Mix well to combine.

Lemon and Orzo Soup. Girl and the Kitchen

Don’t forget to taste for seasoning and lemon.

 A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup! A healthy and fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavors and tender orzo pasta!

Slurp away and kill those winter blues.

And stop going to Panera and make your own at home!  Your wallet and belly will thank you 🙂

 A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup! A healthy and fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavors and tender orzo pasta!

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Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup-4

Panera CopyCat…Lemon Orzo Soup


  • Author: Mila Furman

Description

A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup! A healthy and fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavors and tender orzo pasta!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large onion (diced)
  • 2 medium carrots (cut into rounds or dice)
  • 2 stalks of celery (cut into half moons)
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • juice and zest of 1.5 lemons
  • 1 large chicken breast shredded or diced into bit size pieces
  • 8 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 handful chopped Italian parsley
  • 1/4 cup orzo pasta or any other small pasta like ditalini or stars
  • 1 cup baby spinach leaves
  • Better Than Bouillion (as necessary)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. We start simply enough with a large pot and 1 tbsp of butter in it over medium heat.
  2. And dice up an onion. By the way, this nifty little dough cutter is also used as a chop and scoop in my house 🙂 Chop up 2 carrots into half moons or dice and 2 celery stalks.
  3. And add all the veggies to the pot with 3 cloves of garlic minced on a microplaner. You want them to sweat: Medium heat, covered with lid, no caremalization. Let that happen for about 15 minutes until fragrant.
  4. Add 8 cups or 2 quarts of chicken BROTH. Notice I say broth not stock. Why? Because the broth is a much lighter and more delicate flavor. I tried this with stock and I was not as happy with the deep flavor. It would be better with homemade stock but if your only option is store bought stick to the broth.
  5. Go ahead and add the juice and zest of 1.5 lemons. I like mine super lemony so I added in the juice and zest of 2.
  6. Let the soup come up to a simmer. In the meantime, measure out 1/4 a cup of orzo and chop up a handful of Italian parsley.
  7. Once the soup has reached a simmer, add the orzo and your shredded chicken to the soup. If you are using raw chicken, you can just roast off the chicken for 20 minutes on 450-degrees in the oven with the skin on and bone in sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then remove the skin and shred with your fingers or two forks. You can also cut into cubes. You can also just add raw chicken breast to the soup when you pour in broth. Whatever floats your soup boat 🙂
  8. And then add my magic ingredient. Better Than Bouillion. I talk about it a whole load here. I put in 2 tablespoons. Just whatever you do remember, it reaches its ultimate flavor when it boils. So add, stir, allow to boil and taste. Otherwise you can end up with a pot of salt.
  9. Once the orzo is cooked, about 15 minutes, turn the heat off. Add a cup of baby spinach and the chopped parsley.
  10. Mix well to combine.
  11. Don’t forget to taste for seasoning and lemon.
  12. Slurp away and kill those winter….errrr spring blues.
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: American



Want more soupy goodness?  Check out this delicious Rustic Turkey Sausage and Kale soup:

Sausage and Kale Soup


 A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup! A healthy and fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavors and tender orzo pasta!

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A perfect take on the popular Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo soup! A healthy and fresh soup bursting with bright lemony flavors and tender orzo pasta!

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106 Comments

    1. I love the broccoli cheddar soup,autum squash soup..this lemon orzo soup I all so try ed @panera..it yummy too..I’m making this today 4 my family..they too will enjoy it..thank u 4 sharing

  1. I’m making soup today for my mother, age 84 and suffering with a nasty cold. She makes all kinds of wonderful soups herself and has her own version of this Panera favourite, but I don’t have access to her recipes. I’ve just found your site in my search for a substitute, and this recipe looks perfect.

    1. Wow thank you!!! I am beyond flattered!!! Cannot wait to see the newsletter! Would you be able to send me a copy?

  2. Mary… This looks so good. But in the description you add 1/4 cup of orzo. In the ingredients, you list 1/2 cup of orzo… Which is it???

  3. I am definitely making this! How do you think it would freeze? I’m seven months pregnant and so I’m constantly looking for things I can freeze now and eat later 🙂

    1. It freezes beautifully! I would make the orzo separately though and add it in when you need it … Otherwise it’s going to get starchy and really thicken the soup when you reheat 🙂 I did the same thing when I was preggo!!! If you search for freezer friendly on my site you will get a lot more for your freezer!!!!

  4. Oh boy! Check out the flavours you’ve got going on! We must be in sync, I was totally thinking of posting an orzo soup recipe 😉 Great minds think alike!!

  5. I could use a giant bowl of this right now! It’s be cold and super windy here all day! I just love the combination of lemon and chicken, throw orzo in there… I sold! 🙂

  6. I’m so excited to try this soup! I had it at Paradise Bakery (related to Panera) a few days ago and cannot get the flavor out of my head. Thank you for your copy cat skills and posting the recipe!

    1. Awww thanks for the sweet words Mara! I love this soup so much!!! SO glad I was able to replicate 🙂

  7. Just finished this recipe for dinner,how fabulous tast just like the original in my opinion. Planning on serve with some ciabatta bread & olive oil. Thanks for the recipe.

  8. Amazing! thank you so much! I went to Panera and they have discontinued this soup for the winter I was so bummed… but not now. I made this today – just as good if not better. Thank you again.

  9. Went to Panera cause I was craving this soup like crazy and almost had a meltdown when I realized it was seasonal. Made this tonight since Panera failed me and it seriously tastes IDENTICAL! I had never used Better Than Bouillon either and I think you’ve converted me 😉

    Amazing recipe, tastes just like the original! Thanks so much!

    1. Omg becca! You made my night with this comment!!!! So glad you loved it !!! Thank you for taking the time to leave this awesome comment!!!

  10. I made this soup last night and it was fantastic! One thing to note…the instructions call for three cloves of garlic but that’s not in the ingredient list so I didn’t have that. I’ll make it again for sure but want to try kale instead of spinach!!

  11. I made this tonight and it was SO delicious! Way better than the Panera version, which I love. This was very close to the original, but so much more flavorful. Love the addition of the Better than Bullion and the bright lemon taste to this soup. I will definitely be making this one again!!

  12. I had the lemon chicken orzo soup at Panera last spring and have been craving it ever since!!! The weather just turned here in Idaho and I can’t think of a better meal to beat the dreaded winter blues! Thank you for the recipe!

    1. Awwww Jessica you are so welcome! Make sure you check out your other Panera copycat faves on here 🙂 I have many! Have a wonderful holiday!

  13. I made this today and it was sooo good! So much better than Panera’s! I cooked the chicken inside the soup after cubing. The “chunks” cooked down to a nice size, perfect for soup. I added hand fulls of spinach until the soup looked the way I wanted (I never know how to measure greens for recipes so I eye balled it). It was a super easy recipe and came together quickly. This soup is a keeper!

    1. SHERI!!! What a wonderful comment! Isn’t this soup just utter winter perfection! I love it so much!!! And OMG I always eyeball the greens for soup 🙂 It’s not just you! Have an absolutely incredible holiday darling!

  14. This soup is fabulous! Just made it for my pregnant daughter and her family as I’m taking soup, salad, and dessert each week to her. Found this lemon chicken orzo soup recipe and it was delicious! I agree that the secret ingredient is the richness from the Better than Bouillon. If you like Panera’s soup, you’ll love this! (To make it easy to put together, I bought two rotisserie chickens from the grocery and deboned them for the soup!)

    I’m keeping this recipe in my file marked, “Definitely Make Again!”

    1. Omg rock on!!! What a fabulous comment!!!! It freezes really easy too so it’s great to make in bulk!!! And what a sweetheart are you to bring soup to the preggo!!! Nothing better than mom’s soup 🙂

  15. I just made this soup & OMG it is so delicious!! I am bookmarking this recipe in my favorite recipes folder!
    I’m so glad I found your blog. I will check out some of the other soups, too!
    PS My two teenage sons loved the soup, too. That’s impressive!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  16. I’m so happy that I found this recipe! I made the orzo souo a few times. I usually make it with chicken balls, and even made it vegetarian once (with some cooked white beans and no chicken at all. Love it. Anything lemony is a winner in my book!

  17. Omg this is perfect! I made it with rice bc I don’t eat gluten. I think it would be really good w escarole. This is a keeper — thank you ☺️

    1. Karen! It would be great with escarole!!!! And I have too made it with rice before 🙂
      There are several other recipes in here they are chicken soup like 🙂 I hope you try them out!!!! Have a great day!

  18. I just made this Lemon Orzo soup and it is delicious. The only thing I did differently is buy a rotessire chicken and added that as my chicken breast. Outstanding! ❤️❤️

  19. I came across this recipe the other day and knew I needed to make it because, lemon. I love lemon anything. I have to say that this will be made over and over. Yummm… I did up the lemon to three (did I mention I love lemon), and added a diced jalapeno pepper for some heat. This is out of this world good. My taste buds and my tummy says thank you!

  20. Absolutely can’t wait to make this soup. We’re going to have up to 10 inches of snow here and this will be a great warm- up after digging out my car! Thank you.

  21. This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup was FANTASTIC! The broth is so flavorful and fresh tasting. Although the soup is lighter, it is still filling and super comforting. This will be added to my rotation for sure! One of my dinner guests was a Chef and he was quite impressed…yay me! Thanks for the post, I will be looking through the rest of your site now. ~ I wonder if a little cilantro would work in this soup??

    1. Sure! Just make sure you throw the pasta in at the very end! Otherwise it will be a lemon orzo pilaf 🙂

  22. Hi
    Any chance you havethe nutritional information on this recipe? Or just smart points. Any help is appreciated.

  23. Can I use a regular buillion rather than “better than” because of religious restrictions I can’t use better than buillion (I get buillion s made according to religious restrictions)

  24. This soup is amazing! I first tried Lemon Orzo soup at Souper Salad and wanted to find a recipe for it. I ran across your site and this is tons BETTER than SS! This is my second time making it (have to double the recipe, lol) and both times it has been positively divine. I used thinly sliced lemon pepper chicken breast that my local grocery store makes, saute it in a cast iron skillet and finely chop it up. It adds a little more lemon and a dash of pepper to it. I follow the rest of the recipe as written (even the BTB) and it’s superb. The first time I used Ditalini pasta as I couldn’t find orzo but finally found it this go around.

  25. I knew I had to make this as soon as I saw that it had the lemon (kind of obsessed with lemon). I doubled the recipe and added even more lemon zest and lemon juice. I also used the better than bouillon that is the roasted chicken kind. Let me tell you it is hands down my favorite soup ever. I will be making this over and over. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.

  26. I’m making it now! Too excited for how it will turn out. I used turkey parts instead of chicken for flavor. I don’t eat meat but I do use it for flavoring so let’s see how it turns out! Thanks again for sharing this!

  27. I’m pretty pleased to find this site. I want to to thank
    you for ones time due to this wonderful read!!
    I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked
    to check out new stuff on your website.

  28. I was looking for a really delicious lemon chicken soup and was so happy to have found this one! So fresh, lemony, savory…really excellent. Thanks for the delish recipe!

  29. Hi Mila – Is it possible to make this soup in a crock-pot? I am experimenting with soup and stew recipes that are ready to serve after winter hikes. Thanks.

      1. Thanks, Mila. I skipped the crock-pot and used the stove top method. Fantastic flavor. This recipe is a keeper.
        Just FYI – I happened to catch a demo at Trader Joe’s – YUZU Hot Sauce. It is citrus based and works perfectly as a table condiment for those who want to add some mild heat without overpowering the other soup flavors.

  30. I love this Lemon Chicken soup. It is so yummy and healthy for everyone. I have boiledh chicken breast and used chicken thighs in the recipe! IT TASTED GREAT BOTH TIMES! Thank you for posting this recipe. I caant get enough of it.

  31. Hi there! Didn’t find the nutritional values for this soup.. How many servings does it make?

    Looking forward to trying it!

    1. It really depends on how big your serving is… I do not like to advise on nutritional info as this really should be more of a guide. I would say that one bowl should be one serving 🙂

  32. This soup is just wow. I’m sick and was really in the mood for lemon chicken orzo soup. This hit the spot. I’ve never had Panera’s version but now I don’t need to since this is so good. There’s so much flavor I was shocked. Is that because of the better than boullion? I’ve never used it before. I did use low sodium chicken broth and the low sodium better than bouillon and I feel like I could probably go no salt broth next time for half of it because I’m a tad sensitive to salt but overall this was to die for. I can’t wait to make it again and again. It will officially be a staple for cold weather and sick days.

    1. OMG thank you for this wonderful comment Jen!!! I do love this soup as well…when mama has an ache… this is my go to.

  33. A hearty and health soup. I added more veggies and less chicken. Thanks for the recipe.

  34. I’ve made this recipe so many times! I LOVE it! Sometimes I leave out the chicken, if I’m cooking for just myself, and I use a cup of orzo! It tastes even better the next day, having the orzo soak up so much flavor!! I usually add a little extra lemon and garlic too! SO GOOD!!!

  35. I have made this several times and each time it is Delicious! I have used orzo and then ditalini pasta – both with amazing results. In fact, my son can’t wait until summer because it becomes part of our meal rotation! 🙂 Thanks Mila for this great keeper of a recipe!!!

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