Herby Chicken, Orizo, and Vegetable Soup is the kind of meal that warms you through and through, makes you feel better when you’re not 100%, and puts a smile on your friend’s and family’s faces. This soup stems from the classic Chicken Noodle Soup my Dad used to make during my childhood but adds a ton of vegetables and herby pesto taking it to a whole other level of deliciousness. And my favorite thing about this soup? There is always a little left over for the next day.
How to Make Herby Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable Soup
When making this soup, or any soup, it’s best to have the ingredients ready to go from the start. So for Herby Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable Soup, that primarily means prepping the vegetables and the chicken so you can assemble the soup quickly and easily.
For the chicken, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, place the chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes until fully cooked. Let the chicken rest while the soup is being prepared.
For the zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms chop them into ½ inch dice until you have approximately two cups of each. Next, dice up one-half a large onion and measure out the frozen peas, then set them aside.
Herby Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable soup is all about building flavors. Start by adding olive oil to a heavy-bottomed soup pot and saute the onion until translucent allowing the flavors to develop. Start by sauteing the onion in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Next, add the carrots and season liberally with salt and pepper. After 3 – 5 minutes add in the zucchini and mushrooms, and season again with salt and pepper. After all the vegetables are married together, add in the pesto and chicken stock liberally seasoning with salt and pepper again. Stir well to combine and distribute the pesto.
Chop the chicken breasts that have fully rested into ½ to ¾ inch pieces and add them to the soup.
Now that all the vegetables and chicken have been added, allow the Herby, Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable soup to come to a simmer over medium heat. This will take about 10 minutes. Once simmering add in the Orzo. Cook the orzo until just before it reaches al dente; approximately 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the soup to low or off and allow the orzo to fully cook. This will take another 10 minutes. This process, while it might seem strange ensures that the orzo will cook perfectly as opposed to overcooking and falling apart.
Serving Herby Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable Soup
There are two things about serving Herby Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable Soup – it’s best when served after letting it rest and sit in the pot for 15 – 30 minutes and when served with crunchy oven-baked toasts.
For the crunchy oven-baked toasts, pre-heat the oven to 425. Slice thick pieces of your favorite artisan bread (about 1 inch thick), spreading olive oil on each side. Bake on each side for 5 minutes until the edges of the bread are browned slightly have the whole piece has a great crunch.
Once you pull the pieces of bread out of the oven sprinkle them lightly with a little bit of salt while they’re still warm. This will make them ultimately delicious.
Serve two heaping ladles of soup into a large bowl tucking in a few pieces of the crunchy oven-baked toasts along the edge.
This is the perfect bowl of Herby Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable Soup that’s hearty enough for the main course or light enough as a delightful side dish.
Herby Chicken, Orzo, and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken, 1/2 - 3/4 Inch Pieces
- 2 C Zucchini, 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 C Carrots, 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 C Mushrooms, 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 C Frozen Peas
- 1 C Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 3/4 C Orzo
- 8 C Chicken Stock
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 2 Tbl Olive Oil
- 8 oz Pesto
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- On a lined baking sheet, place the chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper with a drizzel of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow the chicken to rest while the soup is being prepared.
- Chop vegetables and set them aside individual containers. This will help you easily and quickly assemble the soup.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and saute until translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Next add in the carrots, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes. Add in the remaining vegetables in this order repeating the process: Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Peas.
- Add the pesto and chicken stock. Stir well to combine and distribute the pesto evenly. Bring the soup to a simmer, which will take about 10 minutes.
- Chop the chicken into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces and add it to the soup.
- Once the soup is simmering, add the orzo pasta and cook until before al dente when the pasta still has a good bite. This will take about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes have passed, turn the soup to low or off and let the orzo continue to cook through slowly. This will another 10 minutes, approximately.
- While the soup is resting, make the crunchy oven-baked toasts. Start by pre-heating the oven to 425 degrees.
- Slice two pieces (per person) of your favorite artisan bread into 1-inch thick pieces. Sourdough bread is recommended. Coat each side of the bread with olive oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet.
- Bake the bread for 5 minutes per side until the edges get slightly browned and the interior begins to get crisp.
- Once the bread is baked, sprinkle with a pinch of salt while still warm.
- Serve two pieces of crunchy oven-baked toast with each bowl of soup.
