I’ve been on a soup kick for a while now (blaming the chilly weather on that) and I just had to make this dish over the weekend.
This recipe sprung from the pages of an Italian Slow Cooker cookbook that Husband Man purchased for me a while back. I am ashamed to admit that even though I received his gift two month ago, I am just now getting around to making some recipes out of it.
I am also ashamed to admit that I did not know what orzo was until I read the entire recipe word for word. I was hoping and praying that I did not have to run out to the grocery store to purchase a foreign ingredient. My prayers came true.
If you are looking for a lighter type of soup, this is the one you want to make. It is so light as a matter of fact that Husband Man mentioned that it could pass for chicken noodle soup. I can see where he would think that because this recipe does have noodles, chicken, carrots, onions, celery, etc. It can literally very well be a cousin to chicken noodle soup.
Make it for your family today 🙂
(serves 6)
Ingredients:
8 cups of chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 medium celery sticks, chopped
1 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 cup orzo or other small pasta
1 cup thawed frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
Directions:
1. In a slow cooker, combine broth, onion, carrots, and celery. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.
2. Add the chicken, zucchini, and peas. Cook for an hour on high. .
3. While that is cooking, boil the orzo or pasta and prepare per packaged directions.
4. Once soup is finished, stir in the cheese, basil, and orzo.
5. Serve with crackers, rice, or salad.
Recipe Source: From the cookbook, The Italian Slow Cooker
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Dalila G. says
December 6, 2012 at 2:37 pmI have never used orzo in any recipe before.I guess this will be a first for me.
This recipe does sound like a 'chicken' soup and who doesn't like chicken soup? Good thing I have almost all the ingredients, just need orzo, my crockpot is all set to go. 🙂
By the way Libby, the recipe you posted on the 26th of November…..the tomato-basil soup was a hit at my house!! Thanks again!
libby says
December 30, 2012 at 1:02 pmYou are welcome Dalila 🙂 I am so glad everyone enjoyed the soup 😉 I hope they enjoy this one as well 🙂
Anonymous says
May 7, 2014 at 3:28 pmHi Libby, I made your Chicken and Orzo soup yesterday. Had a couple comments and questions tho. I used the low sodium fat free chicken broth and maybe that was a mistake. The soup was rather blah….had no richness. Also it needed salt at the table. I used leftover cooked chicken and wonder if putting in raw chicken makes it richer? Also, couldn't this soup be made just as easily on the stove? I love using the crock pot but since I had to wait to put on at 1:00, that doesn't seem as convenient as putting on first thing in the morning. I do think we'd like the soup if it had a bit richer flavor. It just turned out so blah 🙁
Thanks much, Debbie
libby says
May 7, 2014 at 4:12 pmIt's a light soup to begin with so I can see where some would think it lacked flavor 😉 Try using an already cooked rotisserie chicken next time since it will already be seasoned. Feel free to add any type of seasonings you wish to the recipe to suit your tastebuds. You could make it on the stove as well. I wouldn't see a problem with that. We love using our slow cooker though and love how I can just throw it all in there and let it cook without even worrying about it for 3 hours…but the stove would work just as well. Hope this helped some 😉
Anonymous says
May 7, 2014 at 4:21 pmHi Libby, thanks much for your reply. I will fiddle with it because I do think it could be a great soup….just needs more flavor. I don't think the broth I used was right….didn't have a good rich chicken-y flavor. Maybe I will start it earlier in the day too to suit myself so that I don't have to be home to put on later. Our veggies were a bit underdone anyway. I also had a thought, why couldn't the orzo be added right into the hot broth and not have to cook up separately?
libby says
May 7, 2014 at 4:31 pmI used to have that same problem with my veggies when I placed them in the slow cooker. It turned out that my slow cooker was an older version and there was something wrong with the heating element in there. Hubby bought me a new one and now the veggies seem to be ok. I would not suggest adding the orzo into the broth due to the possibility of it getting soggy. It's always a good idea to cook the noodles separately. Hope this helped 😉
Anonymous says
May 12, 2014 at 11:29 pmLibby, the soup was really good as leftovers after it had set in the fridge a day or so. I did add a couple chicken bouillon cubes too just to give a bit more richness. My family loved it that way. I will definitely make again.
thanks,
Debbie
libby says
June 15, 2014 at 2:50 pmAwesome Debbie! Thank you so much for letting me know 😉