31 Days...Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

What? It's my 31 days; I can take the easy way out by posting a recipe.

Leaving sunny Baltimore Tuesday afternoon, I came home to a rainy, cloudy, dreary evening. Things haven't changed much since then, though I do believe the sun came out for about five minutes yesterday afternoon.

Rainy days always make me hungry for soup, in this case, a new variant of tried-and-true chicken soup. The flavors - thyme, rosemary, garlic and lemon juice - along with the orzo make this say "Greek" to me, or at least a close cousin to it. Chicken thighs rather than breast are a nice change, more flavorful and moist.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

2 TBS olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" chunks
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
6 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 sprig rosemary
Juice of one lemon
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large stockpot. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pot and cook until golden, about 2 - 3 minutes; take chicken out of pan and set aside.

Add remaining TBS of oil to the pot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minutes.

Whisk in chicken stock and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10 - 12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Taste; add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

This makes about eight one-cup servings, though it's so good one little cup isn't enough. Orzo is the rice-shaped pasta. I'm sure you could substitute rice for the orzo in the recipe, though I think you might need more broth if you do.

Now that I am well provisioned with soup, the weatherman says the next several days will be dry. Just about the time the soup-for-lunch runs out, the rainy weather is supposed to roll back in. Maybe a chili or stew next time...