Nutrition Facts
Calories
Protein
Fiber
Cost Per ServingNutrition Facts
| Calories | 236 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 3.6 g | |
| Saturated Fat | 0.7 g | |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.6 g | |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.9 g | |
| Cholesterol | 73 mg | |
| Sodium | 210 mg | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 21 g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g | |
| Sugars | 3 g | |
| Protein | 30 g | |
Dietary Exchanges
1 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat
Ingredients
Servings 6
-
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large chicken breasts) -
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth -
1/4 teaspoon dried dill -
2 teaspoon lemon juice -
14 oz packaged, frozen mixed vegetables (like corn, green beans, and carrots, or canned vegetables listed in Tips) -
1/2 cup whole-wheat orzo -
1 cup frozen spinach -
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme -
3 cups water
Directions
Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.
-
Add chicken broth, water, thyme, and dill into a large, heavy-duty pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. -
When boiling, use tongs to add chicken breasts into the water. Cover, lowering heat to medium or medium-low, so liquid is at a simmer. Cook until chicken is fully-cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. (Cut into the chicken to check that it is fully cooked.) When chicken is done, use tongs to transfer chicken from soup onto a plate. Carefully, cut chicken into a few pieces to cool quickly. -
Stir in orzo, frozen vegetables, spinach, and lemon juice. Let soup cook over medium heat until orzo is cooked, about 10 minutes. -
Meanwhile, when chicken has cooled down, cut into chunks. Add chicken to the soup when orzo has cooked its 10 minutes, stirring and cooking until chicken is warm, just a couple minutes. Remove soup from heat and serve.
Cooking Tip: If storing this soup (or any soup with pasta in it) as leftovers, remember that the pasta will soak up the soup liquid, turning leftovers into more of a stew.
Keep it Healthy: White meat chicken has less calories and less saturated fat than dark meat chicken.
Tip: Canned vegetables can replace the frozen vegetables in the recipe, like a mixture of 1 (14-ounce) can sliced carrots, 1 (14.5-ounce) can cut green beans and 1 (8.5-ounce) can peas, all drained and rinsed. Since they are already soft, add these vegetables with the diced chicken toward the end of cooking the soup. Compare food labels and choose products with the lowest amount of sodium.
Cooking chicken in the broth of the soup imparts flavor into the soup so less chicken broth is needed.
