Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

For those of you who are not familiar with Ellie Krieger, I would highly recommend any of her cookbooks — specifically The Food You Crave .  All of her recipes are wholesome, easy to follow and many will appeal to picky eaters.  I have found a few of my all-star meal hits in here and although a hot soup might not come to mind during the summer months — we eat this one year round.  It’s a meal in and of itself and all in one pot, almost like a risotto.  Love that! Here’s the recipe:

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (from The Food You Crave)

-4 teaspoons olive oil
-8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
– pinch of salt, plus more to taste
-1 medium onion, diced (1.5 cups)
-2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
-1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
-2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
-6 cups low sodium chicken broth
-1 cup orzo
-2 large eggs
-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-Freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat 2tsp of the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Season the chicken in salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring a few times until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a dish and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tsp of oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot and thyme and cook, stirring over medium high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring it to a boil. Add the orzo and let it simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling. Warm the remaining 1 cup of broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. (Do not let the soup come to a boil.) Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

PS:  I LIKE TO ADD A LOT OF SALT!

PPS: It tastes better with each passing day