Grandma’s Chicken Lemon Soup with Orzo

My grandma’s chicken lemon soup with orzo is one of the most comforting and healing recipes I have ever made. It is so tasty and packed with nutrients. We cook the chicken for 2-3 hours to create a beautiful bone broth for our soup. We usually get 1 whole chicken from the butcher and ask him to cut it into small parts, then I freeze half for later and use the other half for the soup. Cook the chicken with the bones and skin on for more nutrients and healthy fats. Once the chicken is done cooking, the skin and bones can be discarded. I personally remove the skin and keep the bones for extra flavor. You can thicken the soup with an egg and yogurt or eat it on its own, just make sure to add the lemon juice to it. I used a chickpea-based rice to add extra fiber and protein. The Banza rice has twice the amount of protein, 35% fewer net carbs and 5 times more fiber than regular rice. Hope you enjoy our family recipe!

Grandma’s Chicken Lemon Soup with Orzo

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 8-10 cups water
• ½ whole chicken, cut into parts
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• Sea salt to taste
•  ¼ cup orzo
• 3 tbsp parsley, chopped

Optional Way to Thicken the Soup

• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 tbsp Greek plain yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced

Toppings:

• Lemon
• Chili flakes
• Grated ginger

DIRECTIONS

• STEP 1. Heat water in a large pot and add the chicken. The water should cover all of the chicken and fill the pot almost to the top. Bring to a boil.
• STEP 2. When the foam from the chicken starts to form at the top, remove it with a spoon. Make sure to remove all of it in order to have a beautiful, clear broth.
• STEP 3. Bring the heat to medium and cook slightly covered for 2-3 hours. Remove the chicken from the pot and place it in a large bowl. Remove the skin from the chicken and return to the pot.
• STEP 4. Add the vegetables, spices and cook for 25 minutes. Add the orzo and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn off heat and sprinkle with parsley.
• STEP 5. While the soup is cooling, prepare the yogurt mix in a bowl.
• STEP 6. Mix the yogurt with egg and lemon juice. Slowly add broth from the soup to the yogurt mix while whisking with a fork. Continue adding broth until the mix becomes hot then add the yogurt mix to the soup and stir well.
• STEP 7. Top the chicken soup with extra lemon, chili and grated ginger.

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