Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is comforting and cozy without being too heavy. With bright lemony broth, shredded chicken, and hearty orzo, this soup is simple to make and is perfect for a midweek cozy pick-me-up.

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If you’re feeling like a cozy soup that’s also nutritious and easy to make, this lemon chicken orzo soup recipe is just the dish. 

It’s hearty, rich in protein to keep you well satiated, plus the Mediterranean inspired flavors of garlic, lemon, and herbs and a touch of honey bring everything together in one fabulous soup.

The chicken and the broth are cooked first, then the orzo and lemon are added and pressure cooked briefly for the second time. The soup is finished with a little Parmesan and flour to thicken it up. 

We hope you give this Instant Pot lemon chicken and orzo soup a try. It will brighten up your day or night!

What Is Orzo?

Orzo is a tiny rice-shaped pasta, also known as risoni. Due to its small shape, this pasta cooks really fast but has a similar texture to rice, just a little smoother. It can be used to make risotto-like dishes and is fantastic for soups to give them more carbohydrate substance. 

Vegetable base – onion, celery, carrots, and garlic  – the flavor and aromatic base for any good soup. 

Butter and olive oil – for sautéing the veggies.

Chicken – chicken breasts are cooked right in the soup, then removed and shredded or diced.

Chicken broth – for more enhanced chicken flavor, you can use water and stock cubes.

Herbs – you can use dried Italian or mixed herbs, or thyme/rosemary individually. 

Orzo – look for it in the dry pasta aisle, it could be labeled ‘risoni’. Sometimes, risoni is slightly smaller than orzo but either can be used in this recipe.

Lemon – both lemon zest and juice are used.

Flour – it thickens the broth a little.

Parmesan – can be omitted but adds extra creaminess and umami flavor.

Honey – a little sweetness balances out the acidity and works well with the saltiness of the broth. It can be left out.

Parsley – for a little freshness, color and aroma.

You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below.

There are three stages to making this lemon chicken orzo soup in the pressure cooker. The first stage is to saute the vegetables and cook the chicken and soup base. The second stage is to pressure cook the orzo in the soup. The third stage is to thicken the finished soup with flour slurry and Parmesan and to add shredded chicken back in. 

Let’s break it down with step-by-step photos and video. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.

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Step 1. Turn the Instant Pot on Saute setting, Normal mode. Add olive oil, butter, onions, celery and carrots, sprinkle with salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring a few times, until nicely softened.

Step 2. Add garlic, Italian herbs and and stir through. Pour in the chicken stock and stir through scraping the bottom of the pot with a spatula.

Step 3. Nestle the chicken pieces in the stock. Secure and lock the lid, set to 10 minutes on HIGH pressure. The pot will take 10 minutes to come to pressure. Once done, use the quick release to let off the pressure.

Step 4. Open the lid and remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board to cool down.

Step 5. Shred or dice the chicken into small pieces.

Step 6. Add the cooked chicken, orzo, lemon zest, and honey to the soup and stir. Set to Saute setting and bring to a boil (no lid). Cook for 5-7 minutes or until orzo is cooked to your liking. 

Step 7. Scoop ¼ cup of the liquid into a bowl and whisk in the flour until smooth slurry texture. Pour this mixture into the soup while it’s still really hot. Stir to thicken. 

Step 8. Then add lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Stir everything well and taste for salt. 

Step 9. Top with parsley, you can stir it through and chop extra for garnish.

Step 10. Serve with extra parsley and Parmesan on top. Might be nice to have a few pieces of shredded chicken poking out. Sprinkle a few chili flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Recipe Tips

You could use pre-cooked leftover chicken in this recipe. In this case, do the Sauteeing of the vegetables, then add all ingredients (except for Part 3) and cook on Saute for 6-7 minutes or until orzo is cooked. 

You can add baby spinach or frozen spinach, broccoli or bok choy to this soup for extra greens. Other ingredients that would work well include peas, corn. 

What To Serve With Orzo Soup

All you need to complete this meal is some lovely bread or dinner rolls. We love a baguette or sourdough but you could also go with something more Italian like focaccia. Garlic bread would be pretty fun and croutons could add crunchy texture. 

This soup is great with fresh herbs like parsley. You could mix it up and add basil or dill/oregano for a Greek version. 

Storing The Soup

The soup will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Add more chicken broth or water to leftovers as the orzo pasta will absorb it and the soup will get thicker.

It can be frozen, too,  but the orzo does get a bit puffy. If you want to freeze the whole batch, maybe cook the base soup with chicken and do the final orzo cooking part after you thaw it out. 

Reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat until warmed through, stirring every so often.

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