Whole Chicken Orzo Soup
This Whole Chicken Orzo Soup is the one-pot soup recipe of your dreams! The chicken is fall-apart tender in a nourishing broth with orzo and veggies.
It’s probably the richest and most flavorful chicken soup you’ll ever have! Top it with mounds of freshly grated parmesan and a parsley-dill gremolata for the perfect hint of herby flavor.
Table of Contents
Whole Chicken Orzo Soup
I love making homemade chicken noodle soup, but it often feels incredibly labor intensive. In this version, we throw everything together in a large dutch oven (and leave the chicken whole) and let it cook low and slow in the oven.
This is the perfect project for a slow Sunday afternoon and the whole soup comes together in about 90 minutes. The broth is rich and nourishing and subtly spiced with a hint of saffron and aleppo pepper. The chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and so, so flavorful.
This is truly the ultimate, low-effort chicken noodle soup of your dreams!
How to Make Whole Chicken Orzo Soup
I recommend using a dutch oven on the larger side so that you end up with enough liquid to make this soupy.
Tools Needed
Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Whole chicken
- Carrots
- Onion
- Fennel
- Leek
- Garlic
- Parsley & Dill
- Parmesan Cheese
- Chicken Stock
- Saffron
- Aleppo Pepper
- Orzo
Step-by-Step Photos & Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Remove the chicken from its packaging and remove any giblets or the neck from the cavity and discard. Pat the chicken dry, inside and out, with paper towels and place it on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the chicken all over and in the cavity with salt and pepper. Let the chicken sit uncovered in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Sear the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large (7 qt) oval dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully lower the chicken into the pot, breast side down. Sear for 5-6 minutes, until the skin is deeply browned, then carefully flip the chicken over and sear for another 4-5 minutes. I find the easiest way to flip the chicken is to use a pair of long tongs in the cavity which gives the best control. Once the chicken is browned, transfer it to a plate to rest.
- Saute the veggies. Add the butter to the dutch oven and once it’s melted, add the onion, leeks, fennel, garlic, and carrots. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to soften. As the veggies cook, use any liquid they release to help scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Build the soup. Scoot the veggies to the edge of the dutch oven to create a well in the middle. Return the chicken to the pot, breast side up, and nestle it into the veggies. Pour in the chicken stock and then add just enough water (if needed!) to bring the liquid level up so that only a bit of the breasts are above the water line. Stir in the saffron threads, aleppo, and bay leaf and then generously season the broth with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then nestle in the sprigs of dill, parsley, and the parmesan rind (if using), cover, and transfer to the oven.
- Braise. Braise the chicken for 75 minutes, then remove it from the oven. Discard the bay leaf, parmesan rind, dill, and parsley sprigs, then stir in the orzo. Cover and return the pot to the oven for 15 minutes more. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice all over the chicken and in the broth and season to taste as needed with salt and pepper.
- Make the gremolata. While the chicken braises, combine the chopped dill, parsley, lemon zest, grated garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl and stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Serve. To serve, ladle some of the broth, veggies, and orzo into a bowl. Use tongs to pull some of the meat off the chicken and add it to your bowl. Add dollops of the gremolata and finish with a mound of freshly grated parmesan. Serve right away.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Use the right sized pot. For this recipe you’ll need at least a 6-7 quart dutch oven (preferably an oval one!). If you use a smaller pot, you won’t be able to fit everything in and you will end up with something that is too thick to be considered soup.
Take your time when searing the chicken. This helps develop deep flavors as the chicken slowly cooks in the oven, so make sure that your chicken is very golden brown all over before moving on to the next step.
Keep the veggies larger. Instead of dicing, give the veggies a rough chop so that the pieces are a little larger. This ensures that they won’t disintegrate as they cook.
Use quality chicken stock. I always keep homemade chicken stock in the freezer, but you can also use store bought chicken stock or broth. Just make sure to use a quality and flavorful brand, though the chicken will bolster and fortify any stock you use while in the oven.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
This whole chicken orzo soup makes great leftovers! For storage, I recommend shredding all the meat off the chicken bones just for ease of reheating. I save the bones and carcass in a ziplock bag in the freezer for making future batches of chicken stock.
Store the soup in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stove in a saucepan, adding more liquid as necessary to keep the soup-like consistency.
You can store the gremolata in a small airtight container or jar in the fridge for 1 week.
Whole Chicken Orzo Soup Serving Suggestions
Any soup is just begging to be served with bread on the side for dipping! This would be delicious with my brioche dinner rolls or a slice of hearty sourdough or focaccia bread.
I’m also a true soup and salad girl, so I love having this whole chicken orzo soup with either a caesar salad on the side or my fattoush salad. It’s perfectly bright and bold and pairs perfectly with the soup.
Whole Chicken Orzo Soup is the coziest one pot soup you’ll ever have. It’s hearty and nourishing and full of warm flavors. If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Soup Recipes to Try
Chicken Congee
Pierogi Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup
Classic Tomato Soup
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Whole Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients
Chicken Orzo Soup
- 1 – 4-5 lb whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 leek, white and light green parts only, sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, cored and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 8 cups chicken stock
- Pinch of saffron threads
- 1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs dill
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 small wedge of parmesan cheese, rind removed (and reserved)
- 3/4 cup orzo
- 1 lemon, juiced
Parsley-Dill Gremolata
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Remove the chicken from its packaging and remove any giblets or the neck from the cavity and discard. Pat the chicken dry, inside and out, with paper towels and place it on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the chicken all over and in the cavity with salt and pepper. Let the chicken sit uncovered in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Preheat an oven to 325 F. Arrange your oven rack so that it sits in the lower third of the oven.
- Sear the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large (7 qt) oval dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully lower the chicken into the pot, breast side down. Sear for 5-6 minutes, until the skin is deeply browned, then carefully flip the chicken over and sear for another 4-5 minutes. I find the easiest way to flip the chicken is to use a pair of long tongs in the cavity which gives the best control. Once the chicken is browned, transfer it to a plate to rest.
- Saute the veggies. Add the butter to the dutch oven and once it’s melted, add the onion, leeks, fennel, garlic, and carrots. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to soften. As the veggies cook, use any liquid they release to help scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Build the soup. Scoot the veggies to the edge of the dutch oven to create a well in the middle. Return the chicken to the pot, breast side up, and nestle it into the veggies. Pour in the chicken stock and then add just enough water (if needed!) to bring the liquid level up so that only a bit of the breasts are above the water line. Stir in the saffron threads, aleppo, and bay leaf and then generously season the broth with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then nestle in the sprigs of dill, parsley, and the parmesan rind (if using), cover, and transfer to the oven.
- Braise. Braise the chicken for 75 minutes, then remove it from the oven. Discard the bay leaf, parmesan rind, dill, and parsley sprigs, then stir in the orzo. Cover and return the pot to the oven for 15 minutes more. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice all over the chicken and in the broth and season to taste as needed with salt and pepper.
- Make the gremolata. While the chicken braises, combine the chopped dill, parsley, lemon zest, grated garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl and stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Serve. To serve, ladle some of the broth, veggies, and orzo into a bowl. Use tongs to pull some of the meat off the chicken and add it to your bowl. Add dollops of the gremolata and finish with a mound of freshly grated parmesan. Serve right away.
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