Chicken, Vegetable, and Orzo Soup
In his new cookbook Everyday Chef: Simple Dishes for Family and Friends, Jeremy Sewall shares easy, comforting dishes like this one for Chicken, Vegetable, and Orzo Soup.
By Yankee Magazine|Oct 03 2025|
Jeremy Sewall's Chicken, Vegetable, and Orzo Soup
Photo Credit: Michael Harlan TurkellIn his new cookbook Everyday Chef: Simple Dishes for Family and Friends, Jeremy Sewall shifts from restaurant showstoppers to easy, comforting dishes designed for any night of the week. Here’s how Jeremy describes his take on chicken orzo soup:
Everyone should have a go-to chicken soup recipe. Some version of chicken soup is found in almost every culture, with recipes as ancient as our ability to boil water. My version is flexible: once you learn the basics, you can swap out the vegetables depending on what you have on hand. I use orzo because it holds up well in broth and it’s easy to eat with a spoon. This tastes better the day after it’s made, especially with a few crumbled crackers on top.
Read senior food editor Amy Traverso’s Q&A with Jeremy Sewall:
Jeremy Sewall on Cooking at Home (and Why You Should Buy the Stock)
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon celery salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup orzo pasta
1 small bulb fennel, diced (about 1 cup)
2 to 3 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
3 to 4 ribs celery, diced (about 1 cup)
2 leeks, white parts diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
6 cups chicken stock
3 cups baby spinach leaves
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet lined with foil and brush with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil. Season with the celery salt and a little pepper. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, dice it into ½-inch pieces.
In a large pot, bring 4 cups water and the 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 10 minutes. Once the pasta is al dente, drain in a colander, then spread out on a baking sheet and let cool to room temperature. Add 1 teaspoon of the canola oil and stir to combine to keep the pasta from sticking.
In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil over medium heat and add the fennel, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the leeks and garlic and stir to combine. Sauté until the leeks have wilted. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken meat and orzo and return to a simmer, then simmer for 2 more minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, add the baby spinach and cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot.
