Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Happy New Year! It's been a whirlwind of a holiday season and new year due to a bad fall I had on ice over Christmas. For a limited time, my diet is somewhat limited. Soup tends to be the easiest thing, so today I went with one of my favorites - Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup! The leftovers are great as well. This is a very clean recipe with no dairy and it's very light, but filling. Enjoy this on a cold day -- or any day really!

Ingredients:

1.5 tb olive oil

2 chicken breasts, shredded (I baked at 400 degrees for 20 min with EVOO, salt & pepper)

1 - 1.5 lemon, juiced (I like it very heavy on the lemon)

8 cups low sodium or unsalted chicken broth

3/4 cup orzo

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 carrots, diced into bite-sized pieces

2 celery stalks, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and saute for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir and saute for another minute or so. Add the chicken broth, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add the orzo and cook for approximately 10-11 minutes. Add in the shredded, cooked chicken and lemon juice. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.