Easy Creamy Chicken and Orzo Soup

I love the idea of having soup for dinner on a chilly evening in the fall.  With a nice big slice of cornbread. Mmm. I could eat cornbread with every meal. :)  Because soups can sometimes take a couple of hours to cook, simmer and get really good, I came up with this quick and easy recipe. It took about 30 minutes, tops and was so comforting and delicious! I hope you try it and love it as much as we did.

 

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 32 ounce boxes of chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 box of orzo pasta

1 whole rotisserie, pulled from the bone and chopped

1/2 stick of butter

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 packet of Knorr garlic and herb sauce mix

3 tablespoons of flour + 2 tablespoons of water {for the slurry}

Salt and pepper

 

{Every good soup recipe starts with plenty of diced carrots, celery and onion.  :) Dice your veggies into small pieces of the same size, if possible.}

 

{And in my opinion, the best chicken recipes involve a store-bought rotisserie chicken. LOL! I love using them as a shortcut in a variety of dishes. Not only is a rotisserie an inexpensive addition, it adds tons of flavor to whatever it is you're making.}

 

{Pull the chicken off the bone, discarding {or eating!} the skin. chop it into bite sized pieces and set aside.}

 

{In a large pot with a lid, over medium heat, melt your butter.  I have an old large cast iron pot that my mom gave me.  The lid is missing though, so I have to cover it with a plate when I need to. LOL! But it's awesome and I love it.}

 

 

{Sautee your veggies in the butter until they are slightly soft but not mushy. Season well with salt and pepper.}

 

{Add in the garlic and herb sauce mix packet. These are easy flavor boosters.  I've used the sauce mix packets to make everything from soups to stir fry. :)}

 

 

 

{After you sprinkle in your sauce mix, add the chopped chicken and mix well.}

 

 

 

{Add the chicken broth to the pot, stir then cover.}

 

{While your soup is coming to a simmer, you need to work in your {seasoned!} slurry to thicken it. In a bowl, mix the flour and cold water. Add in the onion powder and seasoning salt until well combined.}

 

{Add the slurry to the simmering soup and stir.}

 

{Add the heavy cream.  Begin to bring to another simmer.  Taste here for salt.  Make sure your soup has plenty of flavor!}

 

{Once the soup comes to a low boil, add the orzo.}

 

{Mix well and cover to let the orzo cook, about 7 minutes or so.  Continue to heat through until ready to serve.} 

 

 

{Serve it piping hot with nice big spoon. :)}

  

{It's nice and thick.  Creamy but not goopy and has tons of flavor.  So satisfying! Especially when you want something comforting after a long day of work.}

 

I hope you try it, you should make it tonight! :) Enjoy! 

 

xoxo, thanks for reading! ♥