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Feb 15, 2019

Crock Pot Italian Chicken and Orzo Soup

This Crock Pot Italian Chicken and Orzo Soup is easy to make, and the results are both nutritious and delicious.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken and Orzo Soup with carrots


This recipe for Chicken Orzo Soup re-creates the flavors of an Italian soup in a slow cooker. And guess what? Even boneless skinless chicken breasts turn out tender and juicy when cooked in a Crock Pot.

This chicken and orzo soup is also loaded with veggies and herbs. It's super light and flavorful.

How do you make chicken and orzo soup in the Crock Pot?


This is not a "dump and run" slow cooker recipe. Instead, you can use your Crock Pot to make this soup in under four hours!

To make this soup, you cook broth, chopped onions, chopped carrots, and diced celery for 3 hours on low in the slow cooker.

Next, you cut boneless skinless chicken into 1/2 inch chunks and add it to the Crock Pot, along with chopped zucchini, orzo, and frozen peas and cook them in your slow cooker for 30 minutes.

Once the orzo and chicken are cooked through, stir in some shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and a handful of chopped parsley and serve straight from the slow cooker.

That sounds pretty easy, right?

It's super easy!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken Orzo Soup


What is Orzo?


Orzo is actually a pasta that is shaped like rice. I used to think that it was a variety of rice. Silly me. 

If you don't have any orzo on hand, you can break up some spaghettini into small pieces instead. If you'd rather add larger pasta or noodles, cook the the noodles separately and add them to the finished soup. 

We loved this soup. It's light, full of veggies and herbs, and perfect for any season. 

Slow cooker italian chicken and orzo soup


This month the Soup Saturday Swappers, started by A Day in the Life on the Farm, are sharing Italian soup recipes. a theme chose by Kathy of A Spoonful of Thyme.

Check out A Day in the Life on the Farm for everyone's Italian Soups.

Soup, Slow cooker, crock pot, chicken, Italian
Soup
Italian
Yield: 6 servings

Crock Pot Italian Chicken and Orzo Soup

ingredients

  • 8 cups of chicken broth or stock
  • 1 medium sweet or brown onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 large celery ribs, chopped
  • 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup orzo
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 

instructions

  1. Add the broth, onion, carrots, and celery to a 5 to 7 quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 hours. 
  2. Add the chicken, zucchini, orzo, and peas. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. 
  3. Add the salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the Parmesan and parsley. 
  4. Serve immediately. 
Created using The Recipes Generator
This recipe has been adapted from The Italian Slow Cooker

Would you like to comment?

  1. This sounds like the perfect soup for those times when you need quick but substantial! Love all of the ingredients so I know this would be a winner! Thank you for participating.

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  2. My favorite way of cooking, with a crockpot. I like how quickly this soup cooks, even though you're using a slow cooker. And I love all the veggies!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks April. It is really easy and tasted delicious.

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  3. I love this soup. I have made orzo pasta by hand since we do not get it here.

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    Replies
    1. Wow! By hand! I was thinking of breaking up spaghettini into small pieces. I need to learn how to make pasta.

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    2. Sounds pretty easy to me...and orzo!!! Yum! Another great excuse to buy Brenna a chicken!

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  4. This soup sounds hearty and delicious. A perfect lunch or dinner on a cold day.

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  5. That looks like a perfect meal for this time of year when it is still cold out, but our minds are turning to fresher food!

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  6. Could you cook the veggies longer for a weeknight meal? So I could have them going while at work and then add the chicken and orzo right when I get home?

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    Replies
    1. That would probably work if you set it to "keep warm" after it cooks. Or, you could make the veggies the night before, put them in the fridge, and finish the dish when you get home the next day on the stove top.

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  7. Sounds healthy and delicious for a chilly night!

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  8. I want to try this! Did you use pre-cooked chicken? Or does it really cook that fast?

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    Replies
    1. It really does cook that fast! You just have to make sure your pieces are 1/2 inch.

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  9. Quick cooking soups with a lot of flavors are great for busy nights. I want to try this!

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    Replies
    1. You should probably convert it to stove top then, I'm sure that would work just fine.

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