Chicken Orzo Soup

Doesn't soup just sound so good this time of year??

I love making a big pot of soup.  We eat it for dinner once or twice and then I enjoy leftovers for lunch during the week.  I've mentioned loving orzo in place of pasta before, but I figured it was time for a reminder!

I was in the mood for some comfort food this week.  My crew loves chicken noodle soup and subbing orzo for traditional noodles is a fun twist.  It's bigger than rice and it holds together nicely in soups.

Ingredients:

2 cans of fully cooked chicken + liquid

6 T chicken bouillon

6 cups water

1 carrot diced small

2 celery stalks diced small

1/2 yellow onion diced small

1/2 box orzo

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute veggies in whatever oil you love.  I actually cooked my veggies in bacon grease and I think it added some extra flavor to the soup.  Add in water, chicken bouillon and stir well.  Add in chicken and reserved liquid.  I open the cans, drain off the liquid into a bowl, shred the chicken and then add the chicken and liquid to the soup.  Let this cook for several hours.  About an hour before serving add in the uncooked orzo.  Let it cook for about an hour and serve.  If the orzo soaks up too much liquid, just add in a little more water.

It's delicious served with some homemade bread!

Our whole family enjoyed this soup.  I drain off most of the liquid so that it's easier for Leo to eat the chicken, veggies and orzo.

3 secret ingredients that you should not miss out on.  They will make your soup extra delicious!

Better Than Bouillon paste is so much better than those yucky bouillon cubes.

I love these cans of chunk chicken breast from Sams.  They've gotten pricey, but I love keeping them in the pantry for soups.  They're on sale for around $15 right now.  I usually do 2 cans of chicken if I'm making a big pot of soup.

I like this Barilla Orzo the most.  I try to always have it in my pantry for easy soups or pasta salads.

This soup was delicious the day I made it and even better reheated for lunches this week.

Have you ever tried those 3 favorite ingredients??  I hope you do and that your crew loves this soup as much as we did.