• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Meatloaf and Melodrama logo
  • Home
  • About
  • Collaborate
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
    • Collaborate
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
      • Collaborate
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Recipes » Recipes

    Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Feb 15, 2018 · Modified: Mar 25, 2021 by Dee

    Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a quick and easy homemade soup recipe made entirely in the pressure cooker. Loaded with chicken, carrots, pasta and plenty of lemon, this is comfort food in a bowl!

    Jump to Recipe -

    instant pot lemon chicken orzo soup in a bowl with lemon slices

    Nothing is more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of homemade chicken soup, especially if you're feeling under the weather! Add some lemon and a bit of ginger, it's even better. If you like lemon chicken, you'll love this easy Instant Pot lemon chicken orzo soup!

    I thought we were pretty much done with soup recipes for the year. It's been unseasonably warm here, so I was thinking up recipes for spring. So of course, we got rain. And, it got cold. Then, my daughter called from school saying she was sick and needed to come home.

    I  had actually made a big old pot of my regular chicken noodle soup in the pressure cooker for dinner the night before, so I decided to make a slightly different variation. My daughter absolutely loves lemon chicken, and I knew she would love lemon chicken soup.

    This soup is incredibly easy to make, and the only difference between lemon chicken soup and your normal chicken soup is that there's lemon, of course, and orzo pasta instead of the usual egg noodles. I had everything I needed for the soup except the orzo, and when I asked the Hubs to pick some up on his way home, he thought it was rice!

    instant pot lemon chicken orzo soup with chopped carrots and celery and onions in pot

    The only real prep work involved in making lemon chicken soup in the pressure cooker is cutting up the veggies. I always have baby carrots in the fridge, so there's no peeling involved. Just chop them up along with celery and onions, and throw them on top of the chicken.

    I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and 2 cartons of low sodium chicken broth for this recipe. You could even use less if you don't want that much, but we like having leftovers. You could also use homemade broth here if you have it.

    And you guys, it's so easy to make homemade soup stock in the Instant Pot! I was completely out, but I do have a post about how to make your own bone broth or stock in the pressure cooker coming soon.

    instant pot lemon chicken orzo soup in ladle

    Anyway, the takes 10 minutes to cook in the Instant Pot. You do have to allow about 10 to 15 minutes for it to reach pressure and a few minutes to release the pressure. You can go and put your feet up in the meantime!

    When the soup is done, just cut up the chicken and add the orzo to the pot. I use the saute function to cook the pasta, and then I add the chicken back in. I also like to taste the chicken soup and see if it needs more seasoning. You can also add more lemon if you like your soup extra lemony.

    instant pot lemon chicken orzo soup with carrots and celery and lemon slices

    Looking for more Instant Pot Chicken Recipes?

    • Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
    • Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
    • Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta
    • Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken

    Recipe for Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

    Recipe

    instant pot lemon chicken orzo soup in a bowl with lemon slices

    Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

    Published by Dee
    homemade Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is loaded with chicken, carrots, pasta and lemon and is made in the pressure cooker for a quick and easy dinner. It's comfort food in a bowl!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Share by Email
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    pressure time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10
    Calories 109 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 yellow onion, chopped
    • 1 cup sliced baby carrots
    • 2 stalks celery, chopped, plus celery leaves
    • 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth 1 large carton
    • 1 large lemon, juice of, plus zest
    • 1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked

    Instructions
     

    • Add the chicken to the inner pot, then season with next 5 ingredients
    • Add the onion, carrots, celery and carrots
    • Pour in the chicken broth, then add the lemon juice and zest
    • Cover, turn valve to SEALING position, then hit PRESSURE COOK for 10 minutes
    • When pot beeps, allow a 5 to 10 minute natural release, then do a gradual quick release, and remove lid when pin drops
    • Remove chicken, hit CANCEL, then hit SAUTE and add orzo pasta. Cook until pasta is tender or done to your liking
    • Meanwhile, cut chicken into large pieces, and return to pot
    • Serve when pasta is done cooking, and garnish with extra lemon slices and fresh parsley, if desired

    Notes

    Optional -- add cooked pasta when serving. Orzo sucks up a lot of broth, and leftovers turn to mostly chicken and orzo with very little broth left.

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 109kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 10gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 282mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 61IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    This recipe for Instant Pot lemon chicken orzo soup is definitely a keeper! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

    Happy Cooking,

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet
    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    More Recipes on the blog

    • easy baked beans with brown sugar on a serving spoon
      Easy Baked Beans Recipe with Brown Sugar
    • slice of red white and blue poke cake with strawberries and blueberries on a plate
      Red White and Blue Poke Cake
    • easy cannoli dip with cream cheese and mini chocolate chips in white bowl
      Best Cannoli Dip Recipe (Easy Dessert)
    • bowl of peanut butter cheesecake dip with mini Reese's cups on top
      Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dip Recipe

    You May Also Like

    bowl of penne pasta with parsley and Parmesan cheese cooked in the Instant Pot.
    How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
    Greek pasta salad with feta cheese in white serving bowl
    Easy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
    instant pot tuna noodle casserole in white bowl with crackers and cheese
    Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Review Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Jeanne says

      April 06, 2020 at 2:12 pm

      I made this soup recently. I found that 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper was very heavy for 4 cups of broth. I added another 32oz of liquid.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 06, 2020 at 3:53 pm

        We like ours to be super flavorful, but it's very easy to adjust the seasoning level. 🙂

    2. Kristin says

      November 26, 2018 at 4:40 pm

      I'm making this recipe this week and am confused to what a gradual quick release is. I've heard of a quick release and natural one, but not a gradual quick one. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        November 27, 2018 at 8:17 am

        Instead of turning the knob all the way to vent, you move it gradually to avoid liquid spraying all over. I like to use the handle of a wooden spoon or kitchen tongs for this. You can turn the knob all the way once liquid is no longer coming out. 🙂

    3. Cailin says

      February 25, 2018 at 5:08 pm

      Hi I am making this now, thank you for sharing it! Can you confirm if the onion is supposed to be 1 teaspoon chopped? For this round I'm assuming you mean one whole chopped onion.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        February 25, 2018 at 8:06 pm

        Yes! That should read one whole onion, chopped.

    4. Miz Helen says

      February 25, 2018 at 1:42 pm

      This would be a delicious soup and so easy to make!Your post is awesome and thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
      Miz Helen5 stars

      Reply
    5. Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says

      February 17, 2018 at 2:40 pm

      It looks really comforting! I can't wait to give this a try!5 stars

      Reply
    6. Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie says

      February 16, 2018 at 7:33 am

      I bet this warms you right up! I love the lemon flavor in soup!

      Reply
    7. Sabrina says

      February 16, 2018 at 6:51 am

      What an amazing flavorful soup! Easy way to get your kids to eat more veggies!

      Reply
    8. Jen says

      February 16, 2018 at 6:50 am

      Love that this was made in an IP! Sounds so light and delicious!

      Reply
    9. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      February 16, 2018 at 6:29 am

      This soup looks incredible! My family would love this!5 stars

      Reply
    10. Delaney | Melanie Makes says

      February 15, 2018 at 7:39 pm

      This soup looks so comforting!

      Reply
    11. Dorothy at Shockinglydelish says

      February 15, 2018 at 6:55 pm

      My new IP is one of my favorite kitchen tools. This lemony and bright soup sounds delish!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

    Trending Recipes

    • baked breaded pork chops with panko bread crumbs and mashed potatoes on plate
      Baked Breaded Pork Chops
    • ground beef pasta, creamy shells and beef, in creamy tomato sauce in dutch oven
      Creamy Shells and Beef
    • no bake pineapple dream dessert for summer
      No Bake Pineapple Dream Dessert
    • easy strawberry jello fruit salad on plate
      Strawberry Jello Fruit Salad
    • baked kielbasa and sauerkraut in casserole dish with parsely
      Grandma's Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Recipe
    • no bake banana pudding with cool whip and nilla wafer cookies and sliced bananas
      Easy No Bake Banana Pudding
    • slice of red white and blue poke cake with strawberries and blueberries on a plate
      Red White and Blue Poke Cake
    • instant pot BBQ chicken in a pulled chicken sandwich on a plate
      Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • All About Dee
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As Seen On

    as seen on buzzfeed delish country living forbes southern living

    Copyright © 2023 Meatloaf and Melodrama