Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

With fresh herbs and citrus, this bright chicken soup will be a colorful and frequent addition to the dinner table. And using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and frozen peas means you can have a full meal on the table in about a half hour. We love using orzo pasta for this stew but you can also substitute pearl couscous or star-shaped pastina with equally delicious results.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 stalks celery, sliced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

4 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 teaspoon garlic powder

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups orzo

1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill or chives

Heat the oil in a Dutch Oven set over medium heat. Add onion and leeks, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the celery and carrots, sautéing until just tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the rotisserie chicken, garlic powder and chicken stock and stir to combine. Let simmer 5 minutes.

Add the orzo and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the peas, lemon zest and juice. Remove from the heat and season to taste with more salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the fresh herbs for serving.