Feel Better Zesty Lemon Chicken Soup

Lemon Chicken Soup is a zesty, comforting dish inspired by our meal at Sax's Joint. Simple, hearty, and delicious, it’s now one of our favorites at home!

Years ago, on our way to Santa Rosa, we stopped for lunch at a little diner in Petaluma called Sax’s Joint. Without a set plan, we trusted the great reviews on TripAdvisor and decided to give it a try. The diner had a charming 50s vibe—so cute! We shared a cup of lemon chicken orzo soup and a cheeseburger, and both were fantastic. We loved the soup so much that we decided to recreate it at home.

This isn’t their recipe by any means; I just winged it and it turned out just as delicious ad Sax’s Joint’s soup!

Serve 4~6

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Ingredients

• 8C chicken broth or stock

• 1 1/2~2C chicken breast, cooked and shredded

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, diced

• 3~4 celery ribs, diced

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

• 1 tsp Kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp fresh thyme)

• 1C orzo

• 1~2 lemons juiced (about 1/2C) - more or less per your preference

• 1 whole lemon zest

• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Cook the orzo until al dente, about 1~2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and set aside.  

2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, or until fragrant.

   

3. Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper, thyme, basil, and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the chicken and orzo, and continue simmering for about 10 minutes.  

   

4. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest, and cook for a few more minutes over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

   

5. Garnish with parsley before serving.

   

Note: You can save the soup, but you may need to add water when reheating, as the orzo absorbs the liquid and the soup can become a bit too thick.

Chicken broth:

Add 10C of water, 2~3 chicken breasts (skin-on, bone-in), one roughly chopped onion, 2 quartered carrots, 2~3 quartered celery stalks, 1C parsley, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp whole black peppercorns to a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 3~4 hours (or longer if you have time). Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.

Remove the chicken, strain the broth, and let the chicken cool. Once cool, shred the meat, discarding the bones. You can refrigerate the meat for a couple of days if not using it right away. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, scrape off and discard any fat that has accumulated on top. This will give you a cleaner, more flavorful broth.

This is the way my mom taught me. There must be a million ways to make broth, but I’ve been making it this way for years!

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