Low Sodium Chicken Soup with Lemon and Orzo Recipe
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Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Share Pin For Later EmailThis low sodium chicken soup with lemon and orzo recipe is a delicious traditional Greek lemon chicken soup made with orzo pasta and less salt. It’s creamy, lemony, and makes a fantastic lunch or dinner.
This soup comes together in about 20 minutes, and it so simple to make with pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken. This is a fantastic soup to make for guests, or meal prep for a week of easy low sodium lunches.
The only thing better than coming up with new low sodium recipes, is when friends & family share their classic recipes with us! This creamy chicken soup with orzo is compliments of our family friend George who’s avgolemono recipe has been passed down in his family. This low sodium soup is loaded with flavor with much less salt than traditional soups.
This low sodium Greek lemon chicken soup is made with a whole rotisserie chicken, freshly squeezed lemon, orzo pasta, and a delicious creamy egg broth. This soup is in our permanent rotation, and is my most requested low sodium soup from my husband.
This Low Sodium Chicken Soup with Orzo Recipe Is
- Bright
- Creamy
- Fresh
- Citrusy
- Easy to Make
- Low in Sodium
- Great to Meal Prep
A Fantastic One Pot Low Sodium Creamy Chicken Soup
Soup can be one of the most difficult things to make low sodium (and make it still taste good)! I’ve made dozens of low sodium soups, and this cream of chicken soup is a really fantastic version – I highly recommend it.
You can make soups low in sodium by swapping a no-salt-added broth for traditional stocks, and using a good variety of herbs, spices, and a bit of acidity from the lemon. Browse all our low sodium soup recipes here, for lunch and dinner inspirations without tons of added salt or preservatives!
What’s In Low Salt Chicken Soup with Orzo?
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- Whole chicken, meat shredded from bone. I love cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot or roasted in the oven.
- No-Salt-Added Chicken stock – I used my homemade no-salt-added stock recipe here, which I always keep on hand. You can buy a salt-free stock at the store too.
- Chicken bone broth – also no-salt-added.
- Orzo Pasta – Orzo is one of my favorite pasta shapes! It’s a small rice-like pasta, which is fantastic in soups and pasta salads. Orzo comes from Italy originally, but is popular in many Greek recipes. I used this organic orzo pasta, however you can use a whole wheat variety, or even a gluten free orzo.
- Lemons – I’d recommend fresh squeezed lemon juice for this recipe, instead of a bottled lemon juice.
- Eggs – Eggs naturally contain about 60-70mg of sodium per large egg. We try to get cage free / free range eggs when we can. There isn’t any nutritional difference, but I always try to support animal welfare when I can! The trick is to whisk the hot broth into the eggs first, getting them up to soup-temperature before adding to the pot. If you add cold eggs to the hot soup, you’ll end up with egg drop soup (also delicious, but not what we’re going for here!).
- Parsley
- Pepper to taste
The Best Low Sodium Chicken Broth & Chicken Stock?
There are a few different types of low/no sodium broth on the market. I’ll break down some options below so you can choose what fits in with your dietary needs. Always check the labels to ensure the sodium content fits in with your needs.
- ‘Low Sodium’ or ‘Reduced Sodium’ Chicken Broth/Stock – even though the packaging says “low or reduced sodium” this broth still often contains salt. It just contains a lower amount than regular chicken broth or stock. The sodium content per serving can range and vary based on brand, I usually stick with an organic low sodium broth.
- ‘Unsalted’ or ‘No Salt Added’ Chicken Broth/Stock – This broth has no added salt, which keeps the sodium content low. It still can contain a low amount of sodium from the natural ingredients that the stock is made of (vegetables/chicken). I also opt for an organic version, I use this unsalted chicken broth if I don’t make my own. My recipe for no-salt-added chicken broth is here.
- Sodium Free Bouillon – Bouillon cubes or packets are a great 0 sodium option. You just add water to a cube or powder, and you have broth in minutes. I like these 0mg sodium packets I use in my recipes.
Homemade Broth/Stock – this is my go-to option for soups, as I can control the ingredients and flavor that goes into the broth. You can follow my low sodium chicken stock recipe here! Add all the ingredients to a large pot, simmer for an hour, strain and enjoy in this soup.
How Do I Make Low Sodium Creamy Chicken Soup with Lemon?
- Prep the Chicken: Remove the meat from the cooked chicken, and shred with a fork or knife. I use both light and dark meat. Add the shredded chicken to a large soup pot.
- Add the no-salt-added chicken stock and bone broth to the pot, and bring to a boil.
- Once the stock is boiling, add the orzo pasta.
- When the orzo is almost finished cooking (about 8 minutes after adding to the pot), start the egg and lemon mixture.
- In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk well with a hand mixer or with a fork until frothy. Add the juice of two lemons to the egg mixture and continue to mix for another minute.
- Slowly whisk a ladle of the hot soup stock into the egg mixture. Add a second and third ladle of stock until the egg mixture until well combined.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup pot, and stir until the broth is creamy.
- Add fresh cracked black pepper and fresh parsley. Taste, and add more lemon or pepper as needed.
More Low Sodium Soups You’ll Love!
Low Sodium French Onion Soup Recipe
Low Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (No Salt Added)
Creamy Low Sodium Tomato Soup Recipe
Low Sodium Vegetable Soup Recipe (Vegetarian)
Low Sodium Minestrone Soup Recipe
Get the Same Ingredients for this Low Salt Avgolemono Soup Recipe
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Low Sodium Chicken Soup with Lemon & Orzo
Equipment
- large pot
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 whole cooked chicken cooked, meat shredded from bone
- 32 ounces no-salt-added chicken stock
- 32 ounces no-salt-added chicken bone broth
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 lemons
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- Fresh Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the Chicken: Remove the meat from the cooked chicken, and shred with a fork or knife. I use both light and dark meat. Add the shredded chicken to a large soup pot.
- Add the no-salt-added chicken stock and bone broth to the pot, and bring to a boil.
- Once the stock is boiling, add the orzo pasta.
- When the orzo is almost finished cooking (about 8 minutes after adding to the pot), start the egg and lemon mixture.
- In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk well with a hand mixer or with a fork until frothy. Add the juice of two lemons to the egg mixture and continue to mix for another minute.
- Slowly whisk a ladle of the hot soup stock into the egg mixture. Add a second and third ladle of stock until the egg mixture until well combined.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup pot, and stir until the broth is creamy.
- Add fresh cracked black pepper and fresh parsley. Taste, and add more lemon or pepper as needed.
Notes
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*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used, it may vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify sodium amounts.
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So good