Greek-Style Chicken and Orzo Soup
Simple, Silky, and Stealthy
Greek-Style Chicken and Orzo Soup | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
I found myself facing a quandary in regard to roasting a chicken. Roast chicken gets gorgeously browned and delicious. It has an enticing aroma that perfumes your home. And it spatters itself grandly all over your oven. If you ignore that spatter, it builds up and eventually your oven starts smoking and then you have some arduous cleaning to do. This has happened to me on more than one occasion.
The last time I deep cleaned my oven I vowed to find a way to never have to do that again. I got a liner for the lower rack to protect the oven floor. I bought a mini air fryer which works well for small cuts of meat and you don’t have to get on your hands and knees to clean it. And I discovered the advantage of a vintage 3-piece Lisk roaster.
I bought my Lisk at a rummage sale. I thought I had snagged three roasting pans for a dollar, but what I actually bought was a self-basting roasting pan set: base, insert, and cover. The Lisk literature quaintly says that the cover is designed so that “as the natural juices of the roast vaporize and rise to the cover, they condense there, follow depressions to the center and fall in a shower upon the roast.” It also has a damper valve that you can slide open toward the end of roasting time to let in air to brown the meat. It produces a moist, savory bird with crisp(ish) skin, maybe a seven on browning scale with one being poached chicken and ten being a Julia Child poulette.
I put my Lisk set to work when I made this Chicken and Orzo Soup recipe from “Soups + Sides” by Catherine Walthers, published by Lake Isle Press. I roasted the chicken (the oven would stay clean, so why not?) rather than simmering it in water (that would also make the stock), or subbing in a rotisserie chicken.
After roasting, I used the carcass to make the stock. It wasn’t difficult and didn’t take much active time, but it did add an extra step and time delays to what could have been a one- or two-step process. I thought it would be worth it for more flavorful chicken and stock.
The soup is indeed delicious and easily made. So good I will make it again — next time with simmered chicken for comparison to see if the extra step of roasting was worth it. The final stage (or only stage if you use rotisserie chicken and canned stock) is simple—slice a leek, chop some carrots, add them to chicken stock with some lemon zest; while it cooks, combine the eggs and yolks with lemon juice. Temper the mixture with hot stock to prevent it from scrambling and add it to the stock, then wilt the spinach and add that along with diced chicken and some cooked orzo.
This soup has a light, silky quality, with a stealthy richness of flavor. My taster loved it, and declared it “company ready.” Add a salad, and indeed it is. And one of the good things about salad? Your oven stays clean.
GREEK-STYLE CHICKEN AND ORZO SOUP
Click here for printable recipe.
Avgolemono is the Greek version of Mom’s homemade chicken soup. It’s typically a simple soup of chicken broth and rice, enriched and smoothly thickened with eggs and lemon. I expanded on that idea to include diced chicken, carrots, spinach, and orzo pasta. Serve this accompanied by fattoush—a crunchy Middle Eastern salad of romaine, fresh herbs, feta cheese, and baked pita croutons.
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS
⅔ cup uncooked orzo
Olive oil
7 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
1 whole leek, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, rinsed, and sliced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
5 to 10 ounces baby spinach, rinsed and chopped
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
PREPARATION
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and cool. Add a splash of olive oil to keep orzo from sticking together.
In a soup pot, bring the stock, leek, carrots, and zest to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 12 minutes, until the leeks and carrots are cooked.
In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice, eggs, and yolks together until smooth. Into this bowl, slowly and gradually whisk in 2 cups of the hot broth to temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambling. Stir the tempered egg-broth mixture to the soup pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. The soup should be pale yellow, with a smooth and creamy consistency.
Wilt the spinach in a covered skillet over medium heat; add a bit of water if needed to keep spinach from sticking. Add the spinach to the soup, along with the chicken and cooked orzo. Heat gently, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste to see if more salt is needed. Avoid vigorously simmering or boiling the soup, or even prolonged reheating, to keep the best consistency and to keep the chicken tender. If you plan to have soup left over, keep the orzo on the side and add when reheating.
Recipe from “Soups + Sides” by Catherine Walthers, Lake Isle Press, 2010
Greek-Style Chicken and Orzo Soup
from “Soups + Sides” by Catherine Walthers, Lake Isle Press, 2010
“People are returning to real foods, locally grown—encouraging cooking that reflects ingredients in season.” —Catherine Walthers
A companion to Walthers’s popular “Raising the Salad Bar,” this handy cookbook is an expertly compiled collection of playful yet elegant recipes for soups that are made with fresh ingredients and are just right for any meal or occasion. Whether you mix and match your favorite soups and sides or enjoy them separately, it will dare you to think beyond the everyday and pull you out of your soup slump.
OTHER RECIPES FROM THIS BOOK
Beef Stew Recipe
Black Bean and Turkey Chili Recipe
Carrot-Ginger Soup Recipe
Cheddar Biscuits Recipe
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Honey-Dijon Salmon Bites Recipe
Minted Honeydew Soup with Lime Spice Cookies Recipe
Potato-Leek Soup Recipe
Quick French Lentil Soup Recipe
Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe