3 teaspoons olive oil
8 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-3 teaspoons of fresh thyme or 1-1.5 dried thyme
4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth*
2 cups water*
½ cup orzo (rice shaped pasta; whole wheat or blend if you can)**
Juice from 1 lemon
Rind from the lemon, diced
2-3 teaspoons parsley, chopped
Salt & black pepper
Begin by heating 1.5 tsp. oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook it about 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Once cooked through, remove and add remaining 1.5 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add the carrots, onion and celery, garlic and thyme and cook over medium heat until tender. Turn the heat to high and then add the chicken broth and water (add only one water if you like less ‘broth’) and add the orzo and turn heat down to a soft boil for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. I then turn the heat down to low and add in the juice and rind of a lemon, parsley and season to taste.
* You could also use 6 cups of broth if you prefer. I simply utilized one standard box of broth which is 4 cups and then used 2 cups water.
** Be advised that Orzo, being pasta, somehow seems to multiply like mice, so if you add extra, be sure to add more broth/water or you will have a thick stew.
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6 comments:
this sounds yummy, but how do you do the rind? is it the peel and the pith? do you have to cut it really small so it dissolves?
Hi Robyn,
I simply use a citrus zester (I provided a link below). The zester, designed to peel off pith-free strips of citrus peel is simple to use. You simply place it gently against the fruit and you can either make long or short strips. You can then simply take a knife and cut them into smaller lengths or even tiny little pieces. I cut them small but do not worry about them being tiny as you really do not notice them with all the veggies and orzo in the soup. You do however, notice the fresh lemon taste.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku40386/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C16%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Ccitrus%20zester&cm%5Fsrc=SCH
ah cool... i think i would probably just use the tiniest holes on my box grater since i don't have that tool.
anyways, only a few of my friends read my blog so not sure how many readers i can direct your way, but i'll try!
I like the way you think outside the box Robyn. Very resourceful....just try not to get much pith-yuk
it's how i do the lemon for this recipe: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/30-minute-meals/green-olive-chicken-and-couscous/article.html
This orzo soup looks positively delicious! Perhaps you should check out my Mexican Chicken Soup on my blog. If is nurtricious, authentic, features corn-on-the-cob and will blow your mind!
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